Virtual addressing of optical storage media as magnetic tape equivalents

ABSTRACT

An optical disk storage system emulates a magnetic tape subsystem by virtual addressing of data recorded on write once optical disk media having a predetermined group of available sectors for rewriting a disk ID, a predetermined plurality of bands of available sectors for rewriting a virtual tape directory to virtual tape VSNs, and, available sectors for rewriting virtual tape maps and rewriting user records, the tape maps have data portions for simulating tape marks and interblock gap and for addressing blocks of data within the virtual tapes, the virtual tape directory has pointers for pointing to tape maps, and the system rewrites the tape directory, tape maps and user records so as to function as a rewritable magnetic tape.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/633,265 filed Dec. 19,1990, now abandoned, which application is itself a continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 07/177,761 filed Apr. 5, 1988, now abandoned.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CAPTION PAGE

TITLE PAGE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

REFERENCE DESIGNATIONS

ACRONYMS

SPECIFICATION

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

FIELD OF INVENTION

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

System Overview

Emulation Overview

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

System Configuration

Controller

Controller Chassis

Optical Disks

Optical Disk Drives

Operator Consoles

Jukebox

Power Supply

Single Board Computer

VMEGate

Channel Interface Board

SCSI Board

Cache Memory

Serial I/O

Magnetic Media Controller

Hard Disk Drive

Floppy Disk Drive

Operation

Operation Modes

Error Handling

Emulation

Optical Disk Layout

Disk ID Sector Format Table

Tape Directory Format Table

Tape Map Format Table

Tape Map Data Format Table

Data Record Format Table

Disk Directory

Disk Table C Definitions/Structures Table

Starting Block Computation Table

Disk Entry C Language Table

Operator Interface

Simulated Panels

Normal or Test Operations

Online or Offline Operations

Changing Control Unit Channel Address

Rewinding a Virtual Tape

Unloading a Virtual Tape

Placing a Drive in READY Position

Creating, Deleting and Editing Virtual Tapes

Mounting a Virtual Tape

Loading and Ejecting a Disk

Accessing the Disk Directory

Inserting and Removing Disks

Write-Protecting a Disk

Loading the Microprogram

Removing or Restoring Power

VMEGate Description

Architecture

Installation

VME bus Memory Map Table

I/O Channel Connection

Microcode

Channel Data Line Definitions

Interface Sequences

SBC Software Interface

Writable Control Store Memory

Registers

VMEGate SBC/VME Address Table

Command Validator Memory

SBC Software

Buffers

Jukebox Command Buffers

Channel Address Buffers

SCSI Block Buffers

Data Buffers

Interrupt Communication Buffer

Initialization Buffer

Command Buffers

VMEGate Initialization

VMEGate Commands

Channel Commands

REFERENCE DESIGNATIONS

10 Mainframe Optical Storage Transport (MOST)

12 IBM Mainframe Host Computer

14 MOST Controller

16 Optical Disk Drives

17 SCSI Interface Port

17a Drive SCSI Interface Bus

17b SBC SCSI Interface Bus

18 Jukebox

19 Jukebox RS 232 Port

20 Optical Disk

22 Power Supply

23a +5 VDC Power Line

23b +12 VDC Power Line

23c -12 VDC Power Line

24 Primary Operator Console

25 Primary Operator Console RS232 Port

26 Remote Operator Console

27 Remote Operator Console RS232 Port

28 Printer

29 Printer Port

30 Phone Instrument

31 Phone line

32 Cabinet

34 I/O Channel

34a Tag Port

34b Bus Port

34ai Tag In lines

34ao Tag Out lines

34bi Bus In lines

34bo Bus Out lines

36 VMEGate

38 Cache

40 Single Board Computer (SBC)

42 Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) Board

44 Serial I/O Board

45a&b Serial I/O to RS232 Port cables

46 VME Bus

46a VME Bus Address lines

46b VME Bus Data lines

46c VME Bus Control lines

48 Magnetic Media Handler

50 Hard Disk Drive

52 Floppy Disk Drive

54 SBC I/O Board

56 Modem

58 SBC/Modem lines

60 SBC/Modem lines

62 Channel I/O Board

64 Channel Interface Board (CIB)

66 VMEGate to Channel I/O Board Cables

68 Channel I/O Board to CIB Cables

70 Jukebox I/O Board

72 Serial I/O to Jukebox I/O Cable

78 Clock Generator

80 Writable Control Store (WCS)

82 Address Buffer

84 Sequencer Multiplexer

86 Sequencer

88 Microword Transceivers

90 Data Out Register

92 Data In Register

94 Command Register

96 Map Port

98 16 Bit Test Multiplexer

100 Test Multiplexer Register

102 Swap Register

104 Pipeline Register

106 Processor Destination Decode

108 Processor Special Function Decode

110 Processor Source Decode

112 Literal Buffer

114 Port Multiplexer

116 16 Bit Slice Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

118 Ram Address Register

120 Scratch Pad Memory

122 Scratch Pad Data Memory

124 Command Multiplexer

126 Command Validator Memory (CVM)

128 Command Buffer

130 Address Transceiver

132 23 Bit Address Counter

134 Address Modifier Register

136 Start Status Register

138 Interrupt Vector Register

140 Data Transceiver

142 Data In Port FIFO

144 Source Buffer

146 VME Data Buffer

148 VME Bus Control Register

150 Interface Destination Decode

152 Interface Special Function Decode

154 Interface Source Decode

156 Bus In Register

158 Control Registers

160 18 Bit VME Word Counter

162 17 Bit Channel Byte Counter

164 Internal Status Register

166 Bus Out Register

168 Data Out Port FIFO

170 Bus Out Buffer

172 Initial Selection Channel Reset Circuit

174 Tag Out Buffer

176 Automated Data Transfer Circuit

178 Bus In Buffer

180 Tag Out Register

182 Tag In Register

200-222 VMEGate Microcode

202-212 Microcode Idle Loop

200 Initialization

202 CMD Saved Determination

204 SBC CMD Determination

206 Offline Determination

208 Initial Selection Determination

210 Status Pending Determination

212 Channel Reset Determination

214 UnSave IP CMD Processing

216 SBC CMD Processing

218 Channel CMD Processing

220 Pending Status Processing

222 Channel Reset Processing

300 Disk ID

302 ID Bytes

304 Disk Type

306 Disk Label

308 Reserved

310 Disk ID LBA Space

312 LBA 0

314 LBA 32

316 Tape Directory LBA Space

318 Tape Directory

320 Tape Directory Band LBA Space

322 ID Byte

324 abc Tape Data

326 Continuation Byte Pointer

328 ID Bytes

330 VSN

332 Sector Count

334 Tape Map Pointer

336 Tape Length

338 Pool Type/Write Protect

340 Tape Map

342 ID Bytes

344 Sector Count

346 Volume Serial Number (VSN)

348abc Map Data

350 Type Identifier

352 Accumulative Length

354 Block Length

356 Record Pointer

358 Record Offset

360 Offset

362 User Record

400-416 Boot Module

420-448 VMEGate Interrupt Handler Module (VIHM)

450-472 Jukebox Interrupt Handler Module (JIHM)

480-516 SCSI Interrupt Handler Module (SIHM)

520-546 100 Microsecond Interrupt Handler Module (OIHM)

550-586 Quarter Second Interrupt Handler Module (QIHM)

600-660 Keypress Module

ACRONYMS

BOT Beginning of Tape

CAB Channel Address Buffer

CMD Command

CIB Channel Interface Board

CCW Channel Control Word

CPU Central Processing Unit

CVM Command Validator Memory

DASD Direct Access Storage Device

ECC Error Correcting Code

EOT End of Tape

FIFO First In First Out

FBA Fixed Block Architecture

I/O Input-Output

IBG Interblock Gap

IBM International Business Machines Inc.

ICB Interrupt Communication Buffer

JCB Jukebox Command Buffer

JIHM Jukebox Interrupt Handler Module

LBA Logical Block Address

MOST Mainframe Optical Storage Transport

OIHM One-Hundred Millisecond Handler Module

QIHM Quarter Second Interrupt Handler Module

SBB SCSI Block Buffer

SCSI Small Computer System Interface

SIHM SCSI Interrupt Handler Module

TM Tape Mark

VIHM VMEGate Interrupt Handler Module

VSN Volume and Serial Number

WORM Write Once Read Many

SPECIFICATION Reference to Related Applications

The present patent application is one of four related patentapplications filed on the same date and having nearly the samespecification and drawings. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/177,491was filed Apr. 5 1988, by Keele et al, and entitled OPTICAL DISK SYSTEMEMULATING MAGNETIC TAPE UNITS, now abandoned, which was continued intoapplication Ser. No. 07/678,547 filed Mar. 28 1991, now abandoned, whichwas continued into application Ser. No. 08/270,109, still pending. U.S.patent application Ser. No. 07/177,943, was filed Apr. 5 1988, by Keeleet al, and entitled DYNAMIC DRIVE ALLOCATION OF OPTICAL STORAGE DRIVESAS MAGNETIC TAPE EQUIVALENTS, now abandoned. U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 07/177,926 was filed Apr. 5 1988, by Keele et al, and entitledORGANIZATION OF DATA STORAGE ON OPTICAL MEDIA TO PROVIDE MAGNETIC TAPEEQUIVALENTS, now abandoned.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to mass storage of computer systems.Particularly, the present invention relates to an optical disk systemincluding a plurality of optical disk drives in a jukebox to emulate thefunction of a plurality of magnetic tape drives. The optical disk systemincludes various features such as virtual addressing and dynamic driveallocation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The storage systems of International Business Machines Inc. (IBM) andits plug compatible imitators are first described along with IBM'soverall storage strategy. The place for Write Once Read Many (WORM)optical storage of the present invention is then identified andcharacterized with possible optical implementations including benefitsand disadvantages. IBM mainframe computers have an Input/Output Channel,referred to at times as the I/O Channel or simply the Channel, to whichthe peripheral devices attach for communication with the computer. Theattached peripheral typically include high capacity magnetic tape anddisk drives.

The assignee of the present invention, (Data/Ware Development Inc. SanDiego Calif.), first offered an I/O Channel Tester as an IBM channelattached product. The I/O Channel Tester was needed to simulateperipherals in order to debug and test IBM I/O channels. The I/O ChannelTester is unique in that it forces errors on command. The I/O ChannelTester is a generic control unit emulator. The I/O Channel Tester wasdesigned for the plug compatible mainframe manufacturers. The unit isable to emulate the operation of byte/block/selector type controllersfrom ten kilo bytes per second to three mega bytes per second.

The Peripheral Automatic Channel Emulator (PACE) is assignees's secondchannel product. PACE emulates an IBM I/O Channel using a personalcomputer as its host. PACE allows peripheral manufacturers to dodevelopment and test without an expensive mainframe. PACE is capable ofdata streaming transfers at three mega bytes per second. PACE is amainframe-in-a-box used by plug compatible peripheral developers andmanufacturers in place of mainframe I/O channels. PACE attaches to anIBM personal computer and provides full channel emulation,byte/block/selector up to three or four-point-five mega bytes persecond. In addition to the PACE, diagnostic programs for standardperipherals including 3211, 3420, 3480, 3380 have been developed. Aprogram equivalent to IBM's FRIEND diagnostic called PAL has also beendeveloped.

The Channel Monitor is the third channel attached product developed bythe Assignee. Like a logic analyzer, the Channel Monitor is able tocapture and display the sequences used to control a peripheral and totransfer data. The Channel Monitor is an intelligent tool, attachesdirectly to the bus and tag cables, and is preprogrammed to understandthe protocol of the I/O Channel. This makes it easy to use for fieldservice and installation test. The Channel Monitor is a specializedlogic analyzer for the IBM I/O channel. This device is also useful forcharacterization of control units.

The Assignee's fourth product is the VMEGate and evolved from the IBMI/O Channel test equipment. Combining the industry standard VME bus withthe bit-slice channel technology evident in the I/O Channel Tester andPACE, the VMEGate was the first system providing a flexible, userprogrammable channel attachment mechanism for Original EquipmentManufactures. The family of VMEGates includes both channel and controlunit emulations.

The Assignee's fifth product, the PCGate, is similar to VMEGate in thatit makes channel attachment available on a standard bus. In this case,the channel attachment is to an IBM PC bus. PCGate permits attachment ofan IBM PC to a mainframe computer directly at the bus and tag level.This results in a dramatic improvement in transfer speed, from thefifty-six kilo bits per second available with the previous SDLCtechniques to three hundred kilo bytes per second.

Plug compatible peripheral designs for the IBM I/O Channel require IBMI/O Channel experience and knowledge and the importance of reliabilityand conformance to IBM conventions. Incompatibility with differentmainframe models, different operating systems and various third partyperipherals have frustrated the mainframe users. The present inventionis primarily focused on the IBM mainframe computerdirect-channel-attached marketplace. The following section describes theIBM storage hierarchy and the individual items of equipment which makeup this hierarchy. This establishes the baseline for the introduction ofoptical storage and the present invention.

The mainframe storage hierarchy consists i) of main memory, ii)auxiliary memory such as cache and solid state disk, iii) rotating disk,iv) reel and cartridge tape, and v) hardcopy such as microfilm andpaper. This hierarchy is arranged according to functionality, i.e. theupper level storage mechanisms are the most accessible. In general, theupper levels are also the most expensive, the fastest, and the mostvolatile both by nature and by design. Any new mechanism must find itsplace in this existing hierarchy.

The top of the storage hierarchy is occupied by semiconductor memorydirectly addressable by the computer's CPU (central processing unit).The original IBM 370 architecture used a twenty-four bit addressingscheme providing access to sixteen megabytes of real memory. This becamea serious constraint on larger systems, and led to the introduction ofthe IBM XA computer. The IBM Extended Architecture XA computers providea thirty-one bit address providing access to two-point-one giga bytes.This expansion of CPU memory size was necessary to balance the increasein executed instructions per second. The advent of more powerful centralprocessors necessitated the addition of more available memory.

The original IBM Operating System (OS) was a real storage operatingsystem. In 1972 IBM produced the OS/SVS operating system which providedSingle Virtual Storage (SVS) addressing for the first time. In 1974, IBMintroduced the OS/MVS operating system having Multiple Virtual Storage(MVS) addressing on the IBM 370 computer which then provided multiplevirtual storage address spaces of sixteen megabytes to each of severalconcurrent system users. As larger processors came online it became moredifficult to balance an MVS system. The XA computer is designed tobetter utilize resources and make it easier for users to balance workloads. The Extended Architecture, XA, computer is a combination ofSystem-370/XA hardware and MVS/XA software designed to efficientlymanage the system resources of the processor, virtual storage, realstorage, and I/O. Auxiliary memory is semiconductor memory accessibleover the I/O Channel. This includes solid state disk and cache. Thismemory is accessed through I/O instructions and is consequently lessaccessible than main memory. Because there are no mechanical delays(e.g. seek delay) associated with auxiliary memory, it is faster thanother I/O devices. Cache is designed to keep frequently used data closeat hand. The size of cache has been increasing and a cache speedincrease is easier to achieve than a speed increase directly from thedisk. Cache can eliminate rotational latency and speed access tosubsequent datasets much like the solid state disk. The solid state diskuses semiconductor memory in place of rotating media but otherwiseappears as a magnetic disk. It fits in the hierarchy between main memoryand DASD. The solid state disk is an example of a product which fills aspecific need and fits well into the hierarchy.

The next level in the hierarchy is occupied by rotating disk memory,that is, Direct Access Disk Storage (DASD). Most applications programsuse DASD for I/O because it is fast and readily accessed. DASD and alllower levels of the hierarchy are accessed via the IBM I/O Channel.

The evolution of disk storage for IBM mainframes follows key technologyimprovements. IBM Model 2311 was announced in 1960 with conventionalhead technology. The 3330 drive introduced in 1970 for the IBM 360computer moved the heads into the disk pack with improved reliability.IBM Model 3350 was announced in 1973 with Winchester head technology.The 3350 represents the first true sealed Winchester type drive. Theclean environment allowed lower flying heights and higher density andspeed. IBM Model 3370 was announced in 1973 with Whitney headtechnology. The 3370 was the first thin film disk. Made in 1979, thinfilm improves performance by improving head and media performance, notby lower flying heights. The bit density of the 3370 and 3380 is higherthan the older Winchester drives.

DASD does have disadvantages. Because of its rewritable nature, data canbe lost. The tight tolerances which make the media dense and fast alsomake it susceptible to head crashes and lost data. Magnetic disks arerequired to be backed up onto magnetic tape in order to restore dataafter a failure. This is one of the primary uses for magnetic tape.

DASD uses non-removable media. In order to maintain the tolerancesneeded for high density it was necessary to build a unifiedhead-disk-assembly integral to the subsystem. Data must be transferredto another media if it is to be stored offline, i.e. aged data must betransferred to magnetic tape. This is another primary use for magnetictape. DASD is expensive. Although the cost per megabyte of onlinestorage has decreased steadily over the years, users must still removeaged datasets.

The close tolerances required to achieve high density and high speedmake the disks susceptible to environmental fluctuations. DASD isphysically large, requiring 2 or 3 tiles for a five giga byte system,plus the required free space for maintenance access. The 3370 and 3380use different recording formats but can share the same type 3880 storagecontroller. These two formats are important to the introduction ofoptical storage for IBM mainframes. The two competing formats are FixedBlock Architecture (FBA), used in the 3370, and Count Key Data, used inthe 3380.

Like Count Key Data DASD, the FBA disk drives provide high speed randomaccess to datasets. In general, the performance of the 3370 devices isequivalent to their Count Key Data counterparts. The distinction of FBAis the way in which datasets are recorded on the disk and theirlocations managed. For fixed block architecture devices, tracks andrecords are formatted at the time of manufacture. The user does notspecify the length of the data area. Records are specified for selectionby relative block numbers. The device is formatted into a continuoussequence of numbered blocks and arranged at evenly spaced sectorlocations. The subsystem converts the block number to the track addressand sector location.

The 3380 is a Count Key Data drive. With count, key and data devicetypes, the programmer decides the length in bytes of each physicalrecord. The I/O Channel programmer writes certain control informationfor each record in the pattern that is predefined for the count, key,and data format. All count, key, and data tracks are formatted beginningat the index point and ending at the following index. Each track has thesame basic format: track home address and track descriptor record,followed by user records. One or more user records, with count, key anddata, are written following the descriptor record. Each of the Count,Key and Data areas is separated by a gap. The count area contains thelocation of the data area that follows. The location is specified by thetrack address (cylinder and head numbers) and record number. The countarea also specifies the length of the key and data areas. The optionalkey area is used to identify the data, while the data area contains theuser's logical records. The number of records on a track vary accordingto the length of each of the data areas. With count key data devices thechannel sends a seek command to position the access mechanism to atrack. Once on track the desired record must be located. This isaccomplished by a command that causes a search for the recordidentifier. The desired record identifier is compared to the recordnumbers in the count area of records on the track until a match isachieved.

Even though FBA does not allow users the freedom to decide where on adisk surface information will be stored, some argue that FBA is moreefficient than count key data because it reduces the amount of diskspace required for housekeeping functions. While count key data allowsusers to place their most active files where they can be quicklyaccessed, the housekeeping for count key data can be unwieldy, and thesmall gaps that count key data requires between fields consume storagecapacity. Eventually the gaps can actually occupy more space than thedata. Like their FBA counterparts, the 3380s have the advantages of highspeed and update in place. They also share the deficiencies of the FBAdrives by the requirement for backup to nonvolatile media, the lack ofremovability of the disk pack itself, high cost, stringent environmentand large physical size.

The next level in the hierarchy is occupied by magnetic tape. Tape hasseen fewer changes over the years than disk. Chief among the advantagesof tape are its standard format and transportability. The media isremovable and can be shipped from place to place. The media is alsoinexpensive.

Tape does have a number of significant disadvantages. Access is limitedto serial searching of the media. For this reason most data istransferred from tape to disk prior to processing. The data also cannotbe easily updated in place, a record once written cannot be replaced bya record of different length.

Another disadvantage is that the tape media is expensive to storebecause it requires a controlled environment to halt deterioration.Deterioration of magnetic media is a major concern in archiving. Severalmechanisms contribute to the deterioration of media over time. Chiefamong these are the aging due to humidity and stress temperaturechanges. Humidity has the effect of weakening the tape and allowing themagnetized portion to separate from the backing. Changes in temperaturecause the tape and the hub to change size at different rates. Thiscauses stress in the pack. It is often advisable to periodically rewindtapes to relieve stress.

Perhaps the most limiting disadvantage of the tape is the amount of timelost in manual operations. Manual operations on magnetic tape are amajor source of errors in computer centers. In general, the operatorsare required to locate, mount and store tape reels based on the sixdigit volume-serial number (VSN) located on the case. Transposition ofnumbers, mislabeling and misfiling often lead to mounting of the wrongreel. In a labeled environment, the tape management program will catchsuch errors and prevent further processing. An amend will occur and thejob will be rerun at a later time. In a no label or bypass labelenvironment, data loss will almost always occur with highlyunpredictable results, sometimes not evident at the moment.

The 3420 reel tape line has been the standard for years. Because of thestability of the technology, it has been relatively easy for the plugcompatible manufactures to copy the 3420. The longevity of the ninetrack tape is in part due to the industry standardization on thisformat. Data written on one machine can almost always be recovered byanother machine even when different manufacturers, e.g. when DigitalEquipment Corporation (DEC) and IBM, tapes are involved. There are ofcourse issues of conversion of code (ASCII vs EBCDIC) and numberrepresentation, but in general the data can be read into the machine tomake such conversions possible. The long history of these drives makesthem an obvious choice for many tasks requiring long term storage.

The performance of the 3420 reel tape drive has increased over theyears. The 3420-8 is a two-hundred inches per second machine which atsix-thousand-two-hundred-and-fifty bits per inch, transfers data atone-point-two-five mega bytes per second. However, the transfer speed isdeceptive since it is influenced by and sometimes swamped by otherfactors. Chief among these are the mounting and dismounting manualoperations and sequential access inherent in a tape mechanism. A typicalmount or dismount requires time. A rewind may occupy sixty seconds.Access to the tape itself, if it is in an archive for instance, may bemeasured in the tens of minutes. The lost time is lost channel time andlost drive time. Drives can be viewed as relatively inexpensive deviceswhose time can be wasted. Channel time is more precious because thechannel is a shared resource and slow performance can impact othertasks. Thus, the most important loss of tape performance comes fromsequential access and interblock gaps.

An interblock gap (IBG) separates two datasets on a tape. These IBGs arerequired to allow an area for the drive to come to rest between readsand writes. The IBGs consume both time and storage. There is arelationship between the effective transfer data rate expressed in megabytes per second and the block size expressed in kilo bytes. Thetransfer rate rapidly increases to a maximum rate as the block sizeincreases. The IBG for 3420 drives is the equivalent to a two kilo byteblock. The actual transfer speed of the drive drops to one-half when theblock size is reduced to the IBG length.

The 3480 cartridge tape drive advantages are firstly the cartridgeitself, which is small in size and totally protected, and secondly thehigh speed and small size of the transport. The 3480 offers severaladvantages over of the reel system from the operator's point of view.The cartridge is smaller, thus occupying less shelf and cart space. Thetape is fully protected in the cartridge and is never exposed orhandled. The machine is fully autoloading and is available from IBM witha simple loader. The drives include a large display which is used to cuethe operator for tape mounts and dismounts and to indicate drive status.

The 3480 achieves sustained three mega bytes per second transfer speedsthrough its high density eighteen track recording system. This is animportant feature in backup situations since it allows speed matchingbetween DASD and tape. As the number of strings of DASD increases, theamount of data required to be backed up on tape increases as well. Thisis in general a daily process, and ties up both I/O Channel time andoperator time. The 3480 cartridge is designed to ensure that it willhold the entire contents of a twenty-four-hundred foot reel to makeconversion easier.

Like the 3420 reel, the 3480 cartridge does need to be rewound andmounted. These operations are time consuming. If speed is the issue,then rewind time must be considered since it occupies the time of thedrive (although not the channel). At three mega bytes per second, atwo-hundred mega byte tape requires sixty-seven seconds to read. Nearlythis same amount of time will be required to rewind this tape. The totaldrive data rate drops by one-half. Load and unload time amounts to aboutfive seconds each. Compared to the rewind time this is small. If only asmall portion of the tape needs to be read, then the load, search,rewind, unload times can be significant. Like the 3420, the 3480 uses aninterblock gap to separate data records. The IBG length for the 3480 isfour kilo bytes, twice that of the 3420.

The 3480's advantages over the reel 3420 are many. It is moretransportable than the equivalent reel capacity and is better protected.The tape format includes a new block id function which will allow rapidaccess to data areas with little CPU involvement. The operator functionsare much improved, with a display system which prompts the operator tomount and dismount cartridges. A path selection function is provided toassist in management of shared tape. Finally, the cache speeds access todata by keeping many tape motion delays isolated from the CPU and I/OChannel.

The disadvantages of tape media do carry over into the 3480 cartridge.It remains a sequential access mechanism with the difficulty of updatingin place, and storage costs remain high due to the environmentalrestrictions on the media itself. The 3480 specification are generally:A one-half inch, eighteen track, high density tape that is enclosed in acompact cartridge for protection and automatic threading; Small tapecartridges four-by-five-by-one inches with storage capacity oftwo-hundred mega bytes; A tape drive that moves the tape without theneed for capstans or vacuum columns; A fast search capability thatallows a program to position a tape to a specific block without constantprocessor or control unit supervision; A message display on each tapedrive to present operating system messages to the operator; Reducedphysical and mechanical complexity; Superior error correction and betterreliability; and Data transfer rates of up to three mega bytes persecond.

The two dominant hardcopy mechanisms occupy the bottom of the hierarchy.Paper is the only true archival media. This stems not from the characterof the media itself but from the character of the machine required toread the media. It is assumed that any media written more than twentyyears prior will be unreadable because no machines will be available toread it. The use of paper will remain high for this reason. It isreadily used, inexpensive and uniquely convenient in that it can bealtered by the user.

Microfilm enjoys the advantage of paper in that with simple optics itcan be human readable. Microfilm can be considered to be true archivalmedia. Unfortunately this characteristic is also a disadvantage because,in general, what is human readable is not machine readable. Microfilm isconsequently an output media, not readily transferred back to themachine for further processing. It is not as convenient as paper becauseit requires a machine for magnification and cannot be altered by theuser. However, it is readily stored, and conveniently indexed forretrieval.

Several alternate storage systems have been made available. Each systemis designed to occupy a niche in the hierarchy. StorageTek announcedtheir 4400 Automated Cartridge System, a fully automated, 3480 cartridgebased information storage and retrieval system. StorageTek expects the4400 to fill the gap between online DASD and offline tape, and hascoined and trademarked the term Nearline to describe their product. TheStorageTek 4400 is an important offering because it uses the 3480cartridge. The IBM 3850 Mass Store System suffered from the fact that itused a unique media requiring conversion from tape or access from DASD.StorageTek has eliminated this objection by using the 3480 cartridge.The 4400 uses a bar code system to label cartridges. These bar codes areread by a robotic picker. StorageTek offers a software package toprovide for a full access mechanism.

The IBM 3850 Mass Store System provided up tofour-hundred-and-seventy-two giga bytes of storage. The data was storedon unique cartridges, and when requested by the processor wastransferred to DASD for processing. The processed data was thentransferred back to the cartridge for storage. Cartridges were stored ina honeycomb arrangement and accessed via a picker. First the hostcomputer issues commands to a Staging adapter for accessing data on DASDwhich conform to the command set for the IBM 3330 Disk storage devices.The staging adapter in connected to both a DASD and a cartridge storage.The staging adapter transfer information on the cartridge storage to theDASD storage for host computer use. The host computer sends Mass StorageSystem instructions to a Mass Storage Control Unit for data cartridgeselection. The DASD storage stores Mass Storage Control tables for lookup to the data cartridge. The Mass Storage System provides cartridgetape storage but appearing to the user as conventional DASD storage.

Tape, contained in the data cartridges, was used for data storage, whiledisk was used to make the data available to the CPU for processing. Thestorage, retrieval and management of the data in the cartridges washandled by the mass storage system and was transparent to the user. Userprograms operated as if the data always existed on disk. Introduced overeleven years ago the system was not a success. Early problems withmicrocode and users skepticism about the cartridge combined to kill theproduct. No further work on the 3850 is planned. The major contributionof the 3850 was the software developed to support it. The HierarchicalStorage Manager (HSM) developed for the 3850 forms the basis for much ofthe storage management software available now.

Remote Storage has been used at user terminals. A trend in storage whichshould be considered is the distribution of storage to user networkedpersonal computers and low end mainframes. Significant software will berequired to allow efficient well managed distributed storage. The IBMstorage management of datasets as they migrate between disk, tape, andmass storage devices is becoming a major problem. Users will be able todo it only with help from the system itself. IBM and independentsoftware competitors are hard at work preparing products thattransparently and automatically arrange data files in hierarchicalschemes, putting the most active ones on disk for instant access andkeeping less-used files close at hand on cheaper storage devices.

IBM has announced the Data Facility family of program products. IBM isevolving to a system-managed storage environment based on Data Facility.These products include the Data Facility Product, the Data FacilityHierarchical Storage Manager, Data Facility Sorting package, and theData Facility Data Set Services program. The Data facility family workswith other IBM products for data security, timesharing, and relationaldatabase management. IBM announced a common interactive interface forthe Data Facility family in the form of the Interactive StorageManagement Facility. Based on the facilities of IBM's Interactive SystemProductivity Facility, the Interactive Storage Management Facilityprovides storage administrators and users with a series of interactivescreens to choose from. They can also select datasets for certainoperations. One of Interactive Storage Manger Facility's primeadvantages is that it eliminates the need for creating and debugging JobControl Language code. Interactive Storage Manager Facility users canalso review, copy and delete datasets. The Interactive Storage ManagerFacility product provides a simplified syntax, prompts, defaults, help,and other features to improve productivity and to shield users from muchof the complexity of the individual Data Facility programs.

IBM's Hierarchical Storage Manager keeps track of datasets as they moveamong disk, tape and, initially the 3850 mass storage device.Hierarchical Storage Manger staged datasets on disk after they werecalled out of the 3850 by an application program. Archive StorageManager was enhanced with new facilities that enable it to better trackthe usage of individual datasets, storing them on the appropriatemechanical devices. With the Archive Storage Manager, users can defineclasses of datasets that are to be treated in different ways. The goalis to free disk space for high-priority data and to improve overallsystem and worker productivity. The user has no need to know where hisdata is because the Archive Storage Manager keeps track of where eachdataset is and can move it as needed.

As peripheral controller software becomes more intelligent, and newstorage and memory technologies add more levels to the overall storagehierarchy, IBM would like to manage storage at the logical level withall datasets appearing to reside on a single device.

Operating Systems need to have tape access. Understanding how themainframe gets access to a particular data set is important whenconsidering an alternate storage mechanism. Considering tape inparticular, the task is to resolve the location of a particular dataset.In general this process involves consulting a catalog, maintained by MVSor an applications program, and determining the volume-serial number(VSN) of the tape which contains the dataset. A mount request is thengenerated to prompt an operator to mount the desired VSN. The systemwill then read the label on the tape to verify that the correct VSN hasbeen mounted. This accomplished the job requiring the dataset located onthe VSN will be run. The process has many variations depending on theoperating system, the applications programs and the operating proceduresof the individual data center. Under MVS with a package like UCC-Onewhich is a product of UCCEL Corporation that solves tape managementproblems, the control is quite strict and should be error free. In aVault Management environment the control is less automated and may bedone primarily by manual cataloging. Each data center operates accordingto its own policies and procedures in this area.

There is a market place for optical storage devices. Within the storagehierarchy and the devices which implement it, there exists a place forWORM optical storage. Just as the solid state disk memory fits certainunique applications, WORM optical media fits certain applications.Optical storage is not expected to replace any existing storagemechanism. It will augment existing mechanisms and improve total systemperformance. So too, erasable optical has its place and will notdisplace WORM. Each storage media has its positive and negative aspects,as does WORM optical storage.

There are many reasons to use WORM optical storage in certainapplications. On the positive side, optical offers high storage density,permanence, removability, long life, and low media cost. The highdensity of optical is achieved by using laser energy to read and writethe media. The important observation is that this density is notachieved with the very low mechanical clearances of magnetic media. Headcrashes are not a concern with optical, and neither is head/tape wear.Because the media is removable and easily stored, it is ideal forarchiving data in place of tape, especially data that is of permanentlong term value. Once written, the data is permanent and cannot beerased or rewritten. This is an important consideration for certainrecord keeping tasks. The optical storage media is inherentlytamper-proof.

Optical storage media costs today are roughly twice that of tape mediaon a per megabyte basis. This assumes that tape is one-hundred percentutilized which is rarely the case in IBM systems. Media costs areexpected to continue to decrease. As with other media, what is anadvantage on one side is seen as a disadvantage on the other. This istrue of optical as well. There are several criteria which mitigateagainst the use of optical media in the IBM environment. Perhaps themost significant to date has been the lack of a complete turnkeysolution. Some frustrated users have resorted to their ownimplementations using Direct Access Control Units, and similar methods.This aspect of the problem is solved by the introduction of the presentinvention.

The write speed is the limiting factor because of the amount of energyrequired from the laser to mark the media. Higher revolutions per minuterequire higher laser power and reduce the mean time between failures.Write speeds are also influenced by the error correction mechanism. If aseparate revolution is required to verify the data then the write speedcan suffer due to rotational latency. If the correction is done on thefly then the error correction circuits must decide quickly if an erroroccurred sometimes resulting in unnecessarily rewriting sectors. Readspeeds could be improved by creating a read only transport which spinsat higher speed.

Applications which are suitable for optical storage include those whichcan be satisfied with a low speed device, and involve the storage oflong lived data, and involve the storage of large volumes of data. Whereall three factors are present optical is a good fit. Applications whichare unsuitable for optical include those which require a high speeddevice, OR involve storage of short lived data, or involve storage ofsmall amounts of data. Where any one of these three factors is presentoptical is a poor fit.

Many applications often cited for optical simply are out of reach withtoday's technology. The oft cited seismic data application is ideal frommany respects: it is very high quantity, of permanent archival value,and write once. Unfortunately the collection of this data occurs atspeeds in excess of one mega byte per second. The seismic dataapplication is not a suitable application because of the high speedrequired during data collection. DASD backup fails the condition becausethe data is short lived. Backup tapes are generally retained for a shortperiod, beyond which they lose their value.

Advantages of WORM optical are high density, permanent, tamper-proof,stable media and removable media. Disadvantages of WORM Optical are lowspeed, high media cost, write once and a lack of standardization.

A new optical controller could take full advantage of the opticalstorage mechanism, in particular the ability for random access to verylarge data bases. To accomplish these objectives the controller designerwould define a set of I/O CCWs (Channel Command Words) commands for thisnew device. Seek commands would be included to achieve random access. Adirectory structure, like a Volume Table of Contents, would be definedwhich would conserve media. Ultimately, even a new access method wouldbe defined and new host software written to utilize the new device.However, this software development would be a major undertaking. Severalman years would be invested in developing software to use the newdevice. This new software represents a significant risk for vendor andcustomer alike. It is this software issue which motivates an emulationto interface the optical disk. An emulation has the advantage ofexisting software support from IBM, with the disadvantage that theemulation cannot make the best use of the new device's uniquecharacteristics.

DASD emulation is the most desirable emulation because most applicationssoftware is written to utilize DASD. DASD is organized to allowefficient random access to large datasets. This is accomplished throughthe use of individual volumes set aside for each dataset. Consider theVolume Table of Contents used in count key data devices. Each volumecontains a Volume Table of Contents of the datasets and of the unusedspace on the volume. The Volume Table of Contents is used to control theallocation of space on the volume, and to determine where a dataset islocated. Within the Volume Table of Contents are records which name anddescribe individual datasets. The descriptions include the cylinder andhead location and number of extents. When a dataset is written, therecords in the Volume Table of Contents describing the dataset areupdated to activate the new dataset record, and to reduce the free spaceremaining on the volume. It is this updating process which is mostdifficult to handle efficiently with WORM media.

One possible solution to the disk emulation is to stage data on magneticor solid state memory prior to writing to optical disk. In this approacha volume would be held in staging memory until it was closed and thenwritten to disk. The staging memory could be in main memory, as done byPerceptics' attachments on DEC computers. This requires special softwareand consumes main memory. This staging memory could be of considerablesize, essentially a solid state disk acting as the front end cache tothe optical disks. This is an expensive solution.

To solve the problems of DASD emulation a complex system is required.The problems include backup for the volatile staging memory with errorrecovery mechanisms. Emulating count key data drives would beexcessively consumptive of media. Emulating FBA drives would be a betterfit since the optical drives with SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)interfaces are FBA oriented. However, the future of FBA is uncertain.The added flexibility afforded to the user by DASD emulation is probablynot worth the risks and cost. The eventual availability of erasableoptical may simplify this problem, DASD may then be the emulation ofchoice.

Emulating the IBM 3850 Mass Storage System could be a reasonable choicebecause software exists to handle this machine. However, because only afew were sold, this software may not be supported. A vendor could findthat the essential software was no longer available or had beenmodified. This seems an untenable situation. Emulating the StorageTekAutomated Cartridge System ACS4400 also appears risky. Again theavailability of software and the assurance of continued compatibilitywith IBM cannot be assured.

Most turnkey optical systems offered are configured as document serverswith an interface such as Ethernet or RS232. Optical is used to storetext and images, either coded or scanned, and access is primarily by endusers at terminals who wish to view, copy, or edit the material. Asimilar approach could be used in an IBM environment by emulating acontroller, the 3274 or 3174. For document handling this is a viableapproach. The software required to utilize such an emulation would beextensive.

Emulating a tape drive is another choice. Unfortunately tape is mostoften used for DASD backup and for storage of aged data. In the IBMworld only limited applications expect to work with data directly ontape. Typically data is first transferred to DASD, manipulated, andlater returned to tape. From one aspect this is good because it makesthe WORM nature of optical less objectionable. From the second viewpointthis is bad because it means that the random access nature of theoptical media is rarely if ever used; data is streamed sequentially toDASD and accessed randomly once loaded. The process of moving databetween tape and DASD consumes I/O Channel resources. Unfortunately thishighlights a current weakness of optical with a relatively slowread/write transfer rate.

However, features available on the new 3480 drives make tape anattractive choice since they offset some of the weaknesses noted above.In particular, the 3480 associates a logical block id with each record.This logical block id permits searching for specific records without theneed for a series of forward space file reads. Few programs that takeadvantage of the logical block ids use the tape drive offline searchingcapabilities. This may change as 3480s become more widespread. The 3480also includes a cache memory. A similar concept can be used in opticalto speed transfers across the I/O Channel.

The current IBM System 370 storage hierarchy consists of main memory,disk memory or Direct Access Storage Devices (DASD), reel and cartridgemagnetic tapes, and hardcopy such as paper and microfilm. Within theretrieval levels of this hierarchy, only data stored on DASD isavailable at all times for online mainframe processing. Data recorded onmagnetic tapes is generally stored offline. Major time delays arefrequently associated with the transfer of tape data from the tapelibrary onto DASD. DASD storage is fast but remains expensive, whiletape library storage suffers from both slow access and the attendantmedia storage space constraints and costs.

Consequently, a need has existed for a compact form of high capacitystorage that is retrievable online when additional use of the data inmainframe processing is required. Optical storage can satisfy thiscompact, high-capacity online storage need. By emulating 3480 cartridgetape subsystems, Write Once Read Many (WORM), non-erasable, removable,optical disk cartridge storage can be made conveniently available to IBMand compatible mainframes. The present applicant choose to emulate the3480 tape subsystem. This is the most general purpose device, able tosatisfy the broadest set of requirements. The present invention solvesor reduces the disadvantages of the prior art mass memory systems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of Mainframe Optical Storage Transport (MOST)at the system level.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the MOST controller.

FIGS. 3a and 3b are block diagrams of the prior art VMEgate processorboard.

FIGS. 4a and 4b are block diagrams of the prior art VMEgate interfaceboard.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of the VMEGate microcode.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of the MOST disk format.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of the BOOT SBC software module.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of the VMEGate Interrupt Handler SBC softwaremodule.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of the Jukebox Interrupt Handler SBC softwaremodule.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of the SCSI Interrupt Handler SBC softwaremodule.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of the 100 Microsecond Interrupt Handler SBCsoftware module.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of the Quarter Second Interrupt Handler SBCsoftware module.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of the Keypress SBC software module.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to improve mass storagecapabilities.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an optical disksystem and method for emulating magnetic tape drives.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an optical disksystem and method for emulating a set of magnetic tape drives usingvirtual tape data stored on optical disks.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an opticaldisk data organization system and method for efficiently storing data onan optical disks as a collection of virtual tapes.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide an opticaldisk virtual addressing system and method for emulating a set ofmagnetic tape drives though the translation of tape commands into diskseek operations.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an opticaldisk dynamic allocation system and method for emulating a set ofmagnetic tape drives mapped to a set of optical disk drives.

System Overview

The data storage hierarchy of IBM System 370 compatible mainframes isaugmented by providing a system that offers plug compatible optical diskstorage. The present invention is an optical storage library systemrequiring no changes to the IBM mainframe hardware or software. Theoptical disk system includes an automated media handler jukebox havingstorage slots to support optical disks. The system emulates 3480cartridge tape drives and provides high speed random access archivalstorage. The system emulates the 3480 tape subsystem while eliminatingthe need for any changes to the mainframe host operating system orapplication software. The system response to the commands of the 3480instruction set while using the automated jukebox with no requiredsoftware changes in the host.

This system is referred to as a Mainframe Optical Storage Transport(MOST). MOST is a high performance IBM plug compatible storage systemallowing mainframes to use optical mass storage. MOST emulates theoperation of standard 3480 IBM magnetic tape systems, making very largeamounts of online data, from two to eight-hundred giga bytes, availableto IBM mainframes. The system is compatible with IBM's operating systemsand offers a transparent interface between the host software and opticalmedia.

Particularly, MOST is compatible with the IBM 3090 class processors andVM and MVS/XA operating systems executing on an IBM mainframe computer.The 3480 emulation approach results in optical mass storage system thatis also compatible with IBM's DOS operating systems. This compatibilityis achieved by emulating the IBM 3480 magnetic tape subsystem. Programswritten for the IBM 3480 magnetic tape subsystem will operate with MOSTwithout modification. Programs written for other tape subsystems, suchas the 3420, may require some Job Control Language modification, thesame as would be required if converting to IBM 3480 equipment.

MOST emulates the IBM 3480 tape subsystem, that is, it appears to anattached host computer to be a standard tape subsystem. By emulating theIBM 3480 Magnetic Tape Subsystem, MOST makes immediately available allprogram support intended for the IBM 3480. Conventional tape driveprogramming, including access methods, utilities, and job controllanguage is supported. The Data Facility Product supported by IBM iscompatible with MOST

MOST is a mass storage system compatible with IBM mainframe computersystems. MOST provides multi giga byte storage with high speed access toany archival volume. MOST is a turnkey solution to optical storage forIBM mainframes. The 3480 emulation provides an optical attachmentrequiring no new operator skills, system programming, or modificationsto existing software. MOST provides an integrated solution to datastorage needs. MOST is compatible with programs available for the IBMSystem 370 mainframe with a 3480 tape subsystem. Most operatorprocedures are identical, allowing for immediate integration of MOSTwith an existing mainframe.

MOST can be used alone or in conjunction with 3420 or 3480 tapesubsystems. MOST should be treated as a separate pool of 3480 equipmentto ensure that only the desired data sets are stored on optical media.The addition of a MOST subsystem requires steps similar to adding a 3480subsystem including: system generation and testing of the operatingsystem and licensed programs that support the 3480 system; installingMOST subsystem units and testing them under control of the operatingsystem; testing applications using the operating system, MOST subsystem,applications programs, and optical media; modifying data sets, ifrequired, and application program Job Control Language that are to beused with MOST subsystem; and moving existing data from magnetic tape tooptical disks.

MOST requires a block multiplexer I/O channel and may share that channelwith other devices. Two and three megabyte streaming channels may alsobe used, with selected processors, for greater channel flexibility.Channel Unit Control Words must be assigned so that each drive has anidentifier. A minimal amount of Job Control Language conversion isnecessary to accommodate the IBM 3480 subsystem and hence MOST.Generally, the changes required are similar to those necessary whenevera different device type is added to an existing system. Conversion tothe optical media requires that data be transferred from magnetic tape.This can be accomplished by copying existing data from tape to opticalstorage or by using optical storage in place of tape during thegeneration of new data.

MOST can be attached to nonstreaming block multiplexer channels with a303X or 3042 attached processor, or 4341, 4381 and 308X processors ofthe computer. It can also be attached to two mega bytes per secondstreaming channels on the 4341 and 4381 processors. In addition, it canbe attached to three mega bytes per second streaming channels on the303X (with the data streaming feature), the 3042 (with the datastreaming feature), and the 4341, 4381, and 308X processors. MOST isalso compatible with the 3090 series and the 9370 family when amultiplexer channel is used.

MOST is designed for high volume online data manipulation. MOST providescost effective replacement of a combination of DASD and conventionaltape storage. MOST provides a bridge between online DASD and offlinestorage. MOST is useful to maintain a large volume of data, tofrequently access records in a large volume of data, and, to permanentlystore data having long life.

MOST is configured in a range of models including small manuallyoperated systems to large completely automated systems which eliminatethe manual handling of magnetic tapes. MOST is an integration of opticalstorage into the IBM storage hierarchy and is compatible with user'sneeds and available technology. MOST is an integrated solution uniquelycombining off the shelf equipment with new internal sophisticatedsoftware.

MOST has an advanced controller capable of data streaming rates throughcache memory. Data streaming rates, up to four-point-five mega bytes persecond are possible with the cache memory. The cache memory ismicroprocessor controlled in MOST to optimize data flow and throughputwith a sustained data rate of two-hundred kilo bytes per second which isrecord length dependent.

MOST is operationally convenient for the user. It not only emulates the3480 tape subsystem, but has a storage capacity ten times larger withthe advantages of random access. MOST uses a standard twelve inchoptical disk format having removable two-point-one giga byte mediastoring ten times the data of the 3480 cartridge tape. MOST is a lowcost per giga byte storage solution with an archival life exceedingthirty years. MOST uses rugged optical disks enclosed in protectivecartridges for greater protection and automatic loading. MOST is astorage mechanism permitting migration of datasets off of DASD withoutincurring long retrieval times. MOST reduces access time to data due tothe high capacity of the media and the incorporation of robotic loadingmethods. The high speed robotic loading techniques permit rapid accessto any optical disk within a large data library. MOST reduces operatorlabor due to the automatic mounting and dismounting of virtual tapes.The random access quickly locates a target virtual tape volume on anyoptical disk. MOST employs random access organization of data whichtakes advantage of the random access nature of the optical media.

MOST has an operator interface which replicates the functions of the IBM3480 tape subsystem and provides important information to the operatorin a standard format. The operator receives message displays for volume,status, and operator prompts. The readily comprehended operatorinterface emulates the 3480 and uses a minimum number of keystrokes toperform each function.

MOST has reduced media storage space due to the high density opticaldisk storage. MOST also requires less floor space due to the compactequipment size and high capacity media.

Emulation Overview

MOST records a collection of virtual tapes on optical disks. Theemulation process stores "virtual tapes" on the optical disks. Retrievalof virtual tapes is faster than the retrieval of 3480 cartridges becauseof the robotic access to the disk library. Each disk cartridge can bevisually identified by a disk number label on the edge of the cartridge.MOST maintains a volume and serial number directory on the optical diskof all of the virtual tapes recorded on the optical disk. Thus, eachdisk is self contained. The disk may contain one or many virtual tapeson each of its sides.

Each virtual tape has a Volume & Serial Number (VSN), a length, and apointer to its tape map, which defines the structure and contains accesscontrol information for each data record. Each virtual tape has a volumeand serial number according to IBM convention. Mount messages sent bythe host computer to MOST are automatically interpreted and acted upon.If the requested virtual tape resides on a disk currently loaded in theoptical disk drive, the virtual tape will be mounted through the actionof the MOST controller. If the requested virtual tape resides on a diskwhich is not currently loaded in the optical disk drive, the disk willbe retrieved through the robotics of the media handler.

Each optical disk contains a unique disk identification number assuringpositive verification of the optical disk identity during disk handlingoperations. A disk id address space of thirty-one kilo bytes is reservedto maintain identification data for the optical disk. The large size ofthe disk id address space allows the disk to be reidentified up tothirty times. A tape directory recorded in predetermined bands ofsectors maintains a directory of the virtual tapes stored on the disk.The bands of sectors allow the recording of updated tape directories forvirtual tapes that were added, deleted or altered. After one band ofsectors is used, an additional band will be set aside as necessary.

Each virtual tape that was recorded on a disk has associated with it arespective tape map. The tape directory listing the virtual tapes haspointers to the respective tape maps. The tape maps keep track of thephysical structure of the virtual tapes. A tape map is used to determinethe size and location of interblock gaps, tape marks and user recordsrecorded on the optical disk.

Data is organized as a system of pointers and user records. The systemof pointers includes the disk id, tape directory and tape maps. When anoptical disk is loaded, the system of pointers is loaded in memory ofthe controller so that search operations can be quickly executed usingsemiconductor memory, and so that the read and write operations can thenoccur through disk seek operations. The loading of system of pointersinto the memory increases system performance. The system of pointers anduser records can be rewritten into unused portion of the optical disk soas to provide an equivalents to rewritable magnetic tape media.

Library management is carried out as in a magnetic tape environment.Each optical disk is considered to be a collection of "virtual tapes".Each of these tapes is given a volume and serial number and managed bythe tape catalog system. Catalog systems are available from IBM as wellas UCCEL and others.

The additional management function required by MOST is that of knowingon which optical disk a particular virtual tape is stored. This functionis carried out by the MOST controller and is independent of and unknownto the host computer. A small, forty mega byte magnetic hard disk driveis housed within the MOST controller. This magnetic hard drive containsthe information necessary to cross reference virtual tape volume andserial numbers to disk ids. MOST keeps account of optical disk both injukeboxes and in storage racks.

In a tape environment, it is sometimes necessary to label tapes prior toprocessing. The labeling process writes the volume serial number on thetape, along with a file mark to prevent the tape from "running away" onthe first read. Generally this is done by a host program such asIEHINIT. This same process can be performed in like fashion with MOST.MOST can label virtual tapes in an offline mode using a self containedversion of IEHINIT.

Write once data is stored on the optical disk cartridges as a collectionof 3480 virtual tapes, which are accessible by the host mainframethrough the input-output channel. MOST provides a high speed search toquickly locate desired data. MOST implements the sequential tapecommands as random accesses commands on the optical storage media toquickly traverse large data blocks. The virtual tapes contain the sameuser program data as the magnetic tapes.

The compact collection of readily accessible virtual tapes on theoptical disk media saves time typically expended in the tape mount anddemount operations, by eliminating the need for physical handling ofnumerous reels or cartridges. The data center operator selects, mounts,and demounts the virtual tapes in the optical disk collectionelectronically. A job control sheet may be used or, alternately, theoperator may be prompted by volume and serial number messages sent fromthe mainframe.

The optical disk system is able to interpret and act on mount anddemount messages directly, providing fully automated operation. In ajukebox configuration, thousands of virtual tapes can be handledautomatically with no operator intervention. MOST uses conventionalmonitors with key boards as operator consoles to emulate the controlpanels of the virtual magnetic tape drives. The video screens displaythe control panels providing the operators with the touch and feel of a3480 magnetic tape subsystem.

Control of the emulated 3480 tape transport is available to theoperator. MOST maintains and operates on directories for the virtualtapes on the disk cartridges as well as a disk media directory foridentification of the cartridges residing in the automated jukeboxes.Each optical disk has the capacity to store the equivalent of tentwo-hundred mega byte 3480 cartridges. A greater number of partiallycomplete magnetic tapes can be stored on the disk, resulting in areduction in physical space requirements for media storage.

A jukebox provides automated robotic handling of optical cartridgesequivalent to thousands of 3480 cartridges. In response to mountrequests, the robotic jukebox media handler will automatically exchangeoptical disk cartridges between the disk drives and the appropriatejukebox slots in seconds. The disk media directory is stored on themagnetic hard drive and is automatically updated as optical diskcartridges are imported into and exported from the jukebox mediahandler. MOST maintains a one-to-one mapping allocation between virtualtape drives of the emulated magnetic tape subsystem and the attachedoptical disk drives. To increase system performance, the allocation isdynamically changed to minimize access time to requested data.

MOST is a data processing requirement for online access to large volumesof data. MOST provides increased capacity and high speed access to largevolumes of data. By emulating the IBM 3480 magnetic tape system andstoring mainframe generated data as collections of virtual tapes onremovable optical disks, MOST is a practical means for rapid mainframeaccess to multi giga bytes of permanently stored records that areessential in numerous areas of business and government operations. Theseand other advantages will become more apparent from the followingdetailed description of the preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT System Configuration

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, MOST 10 provides a transparent interfacebetween IBM System 370 compatible mainframes 12 and optical disks 20.MOST 10 consists of a MOST Controller 14, optical disk drives 16 andoptional jukebox (media handler) 18. MOST 10 utilizes optical diskstorage for recording data. MOST 10 has a VME bus based MOST controller14 which is a general purpose controller which attaches to IBM's blockmultiplexer through the input/output channel 34. MOST 10 connects to theIBM mainframe computer 12 via the I/O Channel comprising tag port 34aand data port 34b. The MOST controller 14 attaches to IBM's blockmultiplexer channels and emulates the operations of 3480 control units.The controller 14 provides a transparent interface to the I/O Channel byaccepting and responding to I/O commands and appropriately controllingthe optical disk drives 16.

The 3480 emulation is accomplished by the MOST controller 14 emulatingan IBM 3480-A22 unit and mapping optical drives 16 into the 3480 B22dual drives. MOST 10 provides the same operator interface as the IBM3480 system. The jukebox 18 provides the functionality of the operatorof the IBM 3480 subsystem. The jukebox 18 manages the optical disks 20and performs the media mounts and dismounts.

MOST 10 includes at least one MOST controller 14, up to four jukeboxes18, one to four optical disk drives 16 per jukebox 18, for a maximum ofsixteen optical drives 16, a power supply 22 through power connectors23a, 23b and 23c, one or two operator consoles 24 and 26, a printer 28and a phone line connection 31 to a remote telephone instrument 30. Thepower supply 22 provides primary power necessary for controlleroperation. Supplied voltages are plus five VDC on port 23a, plus twelveVDC on port 23b, and ground on port 23c. The MOST controller 14, opticaldisk drives 16, jukebox 18, disks 20, power supply 22 are housed in acabinet 32. A manually operated system would consist of one optical diskdrive 16a in a pedestal configuration, providing two-point-one gigabytes of online storage.

MOST 10 is unique in that disks 20 are stored within the unit itself.The number of optical disk cartridges which can be housed within thejukebox cabinet 32 varies with the number of drives and number ofjukeboxes 18. Optical media can of course be housed in other MOST unitsor on the shelf.

MOST 10 can be configured as one of two basic models. The jukeboxconfiguration is where the automated high speed robotics perform allmount and dismount requests. The pedestal configuration is where theoperator performs the mounts and dismounts in place of the mediahandler. The pedestal configuration can hold one to four drives andoperates only in the manual mode.

MOST 10 configurations range from manually operated systems with onedisk of two-point-one giga bytes of storage, to fully automated,robotically operated systems with eight-hundred giga bytes(three-hundred-and-eighty disks) of storage capacity. MOST 10 has eitherdisk cartridge storage racks, not shown, or automated handling using thejukebox 18. The jukeboxes need not be filled with media. The MOST 10family of optical systems can be configured to support various highcapacity storage requirements. The smallest MOST configuration consistsof one MOST controller, one operator console 24, a single optical diskdrive 16 and a power supply 22. The largest MOST subsystem 10 containsone MOST controller 14 with two operator's consoles 24 and 26 andprinter 28, sixteen optical disk drives 16, and four robotic jukeboxes18 capable of providing eight-hundred giga bytes of data storage.

FIG. 1 provides a functional block diagram illustrating the relationshipof the major MOST components. The physical placement of the majorcomponents of the MOST system 10 are in conventional cabinets 32. Thestandard MOST configuration includes the MOST controller 14, two opticaldrives 16, and an automated jukebox 18 with media storage for up toeighty-nine disks. The MOST controller 14 attaches to IBM input/outputchannels 34 directly on the tag and bus interface 34a and 34b.

Controller

The MOST controller 14 provides the integration for the entire storagesystem, including control of the optical drives 16, the jukebox 18, theoperator consoles 24 and 26, and the interface for the input/outputchannel 34 to the IBM mainframe computer 12. FIG. 2 provides afunctional block diagram illustrating the relationship of the majorcomponent of the MOST controller 14. MOST controller 14 includes VMEGate36, cache memory 38, serial I/O 44, modem 56, magnetic media controller48, SBC 40, SCSI I/O 42, SBC I/O 54, floppy disk drive 52, and hard diskdrive 50. Control of MOST 10 is accomplished through the use of a singleboard computer 40 and appropriate software of the MOST controller 14.

MOST 10 contains a controller 14 for interpreting channel commands,controlling the data flow, and managing buffer operations. The MOSTcontroller 14 communicates with the jukebox 18 via a single,asynchronous, full duplex, EIA serial communication standard, RS232 port19 at ninety-six-hundred baud. The jukebox commands include motioncommands, e.g. get or put cartridge, and special commands, e.g. test andquery status. The MOST controller 14 connects the IBM channel 34 to theoptical disk drive SCSI port 17, and to the RS 232 interface 19, whileproviding a plug compatible device emulation, thereby makingeight-hundred giga bytes of online data available to IBM mainframes.

The MOST controller 14 is a software and microcode controlled device.This provides flexibility in that the controller 14 together with itsattached devices can emulate different standard channel attached devices(3480 cartridge tape, 3420 reel tape, 3380 DASD, etc.) or othernon-supported devices utilizing custom, vendor defined, channel CommandWords (CCWs). Within MOST commands, statuses and sense data accepted andpresented to the channel are completely software dependent. By downloading a different program from the integral floppy drive 52, MOST 10can change its characteristics in order to emulate different channelattached devices.

In the preferred form of the invention, MOST 10 has been programed andcoded to emulate the standard IBM 3480 tape drive. Optical drives 16that are attached are emulated as online devices, while the remainingchannel addresses are emulated as offline tape drives. The software forMOST also supports operator and diagnostic interfaces, a jukebox basedlibrary of optical disks 20, and a database residing on the integralforty megabyte Winchester hard disk drive 50.

A minimum configuration for MOST would normally comprise a singlechannel attachment 34, a SCSI interface 17 for the optical drives 16,two RS 232 ports 25 and 27 for the consoles 24 and 26, an RS-232 port 19for the jukebox 18, a modem phone line 31, a power connection 23 for apower supply 22, and a parallel printer port 29 for a printer 28. MOSTuses existing commercial off-the-shelf optical disk drives, media,jukebox, circuit cards and chassis components in the preferred form.

The VMEGate microcode is embedded in the controller 14. The VMEGatemicrocode and the SBC software are stored on floppy disks. This softwareis loaded on power up from the floppy disk drive. Only the boot softwareof the SBC is in SBC ROM. VMEGate microcode and SBC software updates canconsequently be accomplished by loading new code from the floppy disk.

Controller Chassis

The MOST controller 14 is housed in an UL approved chassis, not shown.The chassis is normally mounted within the cabinet but can also be rackmounted or desk mounted with an attractive front bezel for the pedestalconfiguration. The chassis of the MOST controller 14 provides a powerfulplug compatible interface in a small, easily accessible package. Thechassis contains a multi-slot VME card cage for routing of the VME bus46 and the power supply 22. The chassis further includes a rear panelfor mounted I/O boards. The controller 14 includes the integral selftest modem circuit card 56, the SCSI based magnetic controller circuitcard 48, and the magnetic disk drives 50 and 52. The use of a dedicatedSCSI magnetic media controller 48 for the magnetic peripherals, separatefrom the SCSI controller board 42 of the optical drives 16, means thatadditional magnetic peripherals 50 and 52 can be added without adverselyaffecting system performance.

MOST connects to all attached devices and to the mainframe channelthrough connectors. A rear panel is able to accommodate multiple channelattachments each including Bus I/O 34a and TAG I/O 34b. The channelcables Bus In, Bus Out, Tag In and Tag Out are attached through fourserpentine connectors. These serpentine connectors are coated with aconductive material which makes contact with the shield pins of theserpentine connectors. This connection provides complete shielding ofthe I/O signals as they pass into the chassis of the cabinet 32.

The four serpentine connectors associated with I/O channel ports 34attach to the rear of the unit. The controller 14 can be placed at anylocation in the string, and may share the I/O channel with up to sevenother channel control units, including other MOST units. The serpentineconnectors for each channel attachment are mounted on a ChannelInterface Board 64 (CIB). If a connector pin is bent or broken the CIB64 card can be removed and replaced. The CIB 64 is connected to themainframe 12 through the four Bus/Tag serpentine cable set. The CIBboard 64 is physically located at the bottom of the chassis forconvenient connections to the one or two pairs of bus and tag cables.Each VMEGate 36 is able to attach to one or two CIBs 64. The CIB 64includes channel receivers and drivers, and a select relay.

A rear panel assembly, not shown, supports a jukebox I/O board 70connected between the serial I/O board 44 and the RS-232 port 19. Ajukebox I/O cable 72 connects together the Serial I/O board 44 and thejukebox I/O board 70. The rear panel also supports a Channel I/O board62 connected between the interface board of the VMEGate 36 and the CIB64 by Channel I/O Board serpentine cables 66 and 68. The rear panel alsosupports the SBC I/O board 54 connected to the SBC 40 by the SBC cable58. Various connectors are mounted on the I/O boards 54, 62, and 70mounted on the rear panel of the chassis. Latch and eject, insulationdisplacement connectors of the ribbon cables 58, 66, 68 and 72 are usedto connect together these I/O boards 62, 70 and 54 and the SBC 40,VMEGAte 36, SCSI 42 boards lodged in the slotted card cage. In this way,faulty boards are easily disconnected and replaced in the field.

MOST 10 is upgradeable from one to four channels by the addition ofanother VMEGate and CIB 64. In the multi-channel attachmentconfiguration, the four channel attachments are driven using twoVMEGates 36. Unlike the multi-channel attachment of the 3480, which canonly operate one channel at a time, MOST allows for one of the twochannels to be active on each VMEGate 36. Thus, two channel access ispossible, with the other two channels appearing offline. MOST 10 isupgradeable from one to four channels by addition of another VMEGate 36and CIB 64.

Optical disk drives 16 are attached to the MOST controller 14 via theSCSI interface port 17. Single-ended SCSI connection is limited to sixmeters total cable length. Design constraints limits no more than fourdrives 16 on a single SCSI host adapter. By providing slots for up tofour host adaptors in the twelve slot chassis MOST is able toaccommodate up to sixteen drives 16 for a single controller 14, whichmatches the IBM 3480 architecture.

The SCSI interface port 17 for the optical disk drives 16 is located onthe rear panel of the chassis. The connector is grounded by a shieldattached directly to the chassis for maximum noise immunity. Shieldedcables are used from the controller 14 to the first drive 16a andbetween drives 16a and 16b. In the pedestal version of MOST 10 where nojukebox 18 is used and no SCSI board 42 is used, using the five slotcard cage, the SBC 40 controls the optical drives 61 over the SCSIinterface port 17 by a direct connection between the SCSI bus 17a to theSCSI bus 17b.

Two shielded RS-232C ports 25 and 27 are provided on the rear panel ofthe chassis of the cabinet 32. The RS-232C port 27 is switched by aswitch, not shown, to allow the port 27 to be bypassed and the signallines routed to the internal modem 56 over cable 60. The modem 56 isconnected to a standard modular RJ11 phone jack 31. These RS-232C ports25 and 27 are under the control of the SBC 40. All control lines forRS-232 communication are controlled through the SBC software.

A shielded RS-232 connector for port 19 is provided on the back of thechassis to allow communication with the jukebox 18. Unlike the terminalports which are driven by the SBC, the port 19 is driven by anintelligent RS-232 serial I/O controller board 44. The serial I/O board44 has a 68000 microprocessor and also three additional RS-232 ports,(not shown). This additional processing power and I/O capacity of theserial I/O 44 are provided to allow expansion to multiple jukeboxconfigurations.

A shielded 25-pin connector is available as a printer port 29. Theprinter port 29 allows tape database reports to be printed by theprinter 28 as well as the production of hard copies of error logs. Thepin out is identical to the IBM PC Centronics interface allowingconnection to any Centronics parallel printer via a standard PC cable.

The VME Card Cage is typically a twelve slot card cage with the firstfive slot occupied as is the five slot version. The twelve slot versionis typically occupied as follows: slot one has the Management Processor68010 of the SBC 40; slot two has the Cache 38; slot three has theVMEGate interface board; slot four has VMEGate processor board; slotfive has the Smart RS-232 68000 serial I/O board 44; slot six has anoptional second VMEGate interface board; slot seven has an optionalsecond VMEGate processor board; slot eight has the SCSI board for thefirst four optical drives for first jukebox; slot nine has a second SCSIboard for the second four optical drives for the second jukebox; slot 10has the third SCSI board for third four Optical drives for the thirdjukebox; slot eleven has a fourth SCSI board for fourth four opticaldrives for the fourth jukebox; and slot twelve is reserved.

The controller chassis is available in two configurations, a singlechannel attachment configuration, and a multi-channel attachmentconfiguration. The single channel attachment configuration has a fiveslot VME card cage in a seven inch high nineteen inch rack mountenclosure. The multi-channel chassis has a twelve slot card cage in aten-point-five inch high nineteen inch rack mount chassis. The largertwelve slot enclosure provides sufficient space on the rear panel for upto four sets of tag and bus cables, with each set having two tag and twobus cables. The cables required are SCSI cables to the optical diskdrives 16, RS232 cables to the jukeboxes 18, operator's consoles 24 and26 and printer 28, external cables for integrating system include Busand Tag cables with Bus and Tag terminators, and a telephone line forremote console or diagnostics. The five slot chassis will support fromone to four drives 16, one jukebox 18, one or two consoles 24 and 26,and one VMEGate 36. The twelve slot chassis will support from one tosixteen drives 16, up to four jukeboxes 18, one or two consoles 24 and26.

Optical Disks

The technology of MOST is based on the industry standard twelve inchWrite Once Read Many, (WORM) optical disk. Each optical disk has acapacity of two-point-one giga bytes using both sides. All MOSTconfigurations utilize WORM optical disk technology for recording datawhile emulating IBM 3480 magnetic tape subsystems. The guaranteedarchival life of the optically written disk is thirty years.

In typical applications, tape cartridges and reels are very seldom fullyutilized. Usually, the usage is ten to fifty percent of a tape becauseof the time it takes to sequence through the tape and or the catalogingof applications. Due to the advantages of random access of virtual tapeson the optical disk, the utilization factor on disk is much greater.Therefore, in a typical operating situation, one disk cartridge would beequivalent to as many as one-hundred tape cartridges or reels. The MOSTsystem will automatically recognize media which has not been labeled andrequest that the user provide a disk id before continuing, thus ensuringthat all media in the system is numbered and properly accounted for.

The disks 20 are off the shelf items. The LMSI media is preferred. Thismedia is in twelve inch format storing one giga bytes on each of its twosides. MOST uses both sides of the media. Each side is given anidentification number followed by an `A` or `B`. These numbers are usedto manage the media for location and orientation. The LMSI media iswarranted to provide not less than one giga bytes of data storage perside. This ensures that two giga bytes are available for storage. Thestorage overhead rate including, disk id, tape directory, tape map,etc., is less than two percent, leaving one-point-nine-six giga bytesavailable for data.

The media is also inherently tamper-proof. Each optical disk is housedin a protective cartridge. The cartridge provides for secure transportof the optical media either by operators or by the media handler. Theoptical media is a disk constructed as a glass sandwich enclosing atellurium alloy, which is the sensitive layer. The disk is preformattedand contains thirty-two-thousand tracks per side, each track containingthirty-two sectors of one-thousand-twenty-four bytes. Each sectorcontains more than the one-thousand-twenty-four bytes since headers andcorrection characters must be accommodated. These additional bytes arenever included in the stated capacities since they are never accessibleto the user. Thus, the actual data space is two-point-one giga bytes(2,097,152,000) per optical disk.

The optical media is write once read many (WORM). The physicalcharacteristics of the optical media are such that it is impervious tostray magnetic fields, and provides for permanent and stable storage ofdata. Each cartridge disk includes a write protect selector that, whenset, prevents data from being written on the disk. However, virtualtapes can be rewritten or modified, and stored in another physicallocation on the disk. The tape directory for the disk media is thenupdated to show the location of the new virtual tapes.

The virtual tapes are permanently written by a laser beam on the opticaldisks and are, therefore, tamper proof. Any virtual tape can beretrieved through the I/O Channel by the mainframe from a selectedoptical disk 20, and, after processing, the revised data can be writtenout through the I/O Channel 34 to unused sectors of the optical disk forpermanent storage. The retrieval of virtual tapes is inherently muchfaster than retrieval of magnetic tapes, since robotic access to, andrandom access within, the collection of virtual tapes on the opticaldisk eliminates the time consuming delays associated with magnetic taperetrieval and serial access functions.

In addition to the planned overhead, there is some overhead due todefects in the media. These defects are automatically corrected by"sector slipping". The defective sector is skipped and the data placedin the next sector. No empty sectors are set aside in advance toaccommodate the sector slipping. In the event of sector slippage, MOSTaccounts for the slippage by updating pointers after each writeoperation. By updating the pointers, MOST does not need to keep track ofaccumulative slippage amounts. The media manufacturers expect a defectoverhead of approximately two percent.

The MOST disk drive uses the Direct Read During Write technique forwrite error detection. This mechanism reads the data as it is writtenonto the disk. The data which is read back is processed by the errorcorrection circuitry. If the sector is found to be bad, the data iswritten in the immediately following sector. This Direct Read DuringWrite technique results in a high speed write capability even in thepresence of errors. Some systems are required to return to a justwritten sector and read the data to check for errors. This results in alost revolution and means that the data must be written many sectors ortracks away if it was in error. This causes more revolutions to be lostas seeks are performed. Direct Read During Write eliminates thesedifficulties.

MOST makes the benefits of Write Once Read Many (WORM) optical massstorage technology while retaining the use of existing IBM programs andprocesses. WORM optical technology offers unique benefits for largescale users including high density for manipulating large databases,stable media for long life applications, tamper proof media forproviding an automatic audit trail for secure data, removable media forarchival storage, small system footprint per online capacity forphysical space savings and high reliability for error rate less than onebit per thousand.

LMSI provides a warranty with their media. This warranty specificallyprovides for one giga byte of storage per side and a storage life ofthirty years. The LMSI media is preformatted and no additionalformatting of the media is required to enable it to be used in MOST.However, the LMSI cartridge is thick which reduces the amount of mediawhich can be put in a jukebox and the LMSI read transfer rate is slowerthan Optimem or Hitachi.

Optical Disk Drives

MOST 10 incorporates the optical disk drives from Laser Magnetic StorageInternational, their model LD1200. There is the possibility ofincorporating drives from other suppliers. The industry has standardizedthe SCSI interface for optical disk drives 16, making it relatively easyto migrate to the best available product. The MOST controller 14 uses astandard SCSI interface to communicate with the optical disk drives 16.The use of this interface makes the unit relatively media/driveindependent.

Each optical disk drive 16 is a single spindle removable media opticaldisk drive. Two optical drives 16 are the logical equivalent of the IBM3480-B22 dual transport tape drive. Each drive contains the mechanicalelements necessary to load, spin, and access the media. A solid statelaser diode provides the energy for reading and writing the opticaldisks. Electronic circuitry and a microprocessor controller read andwrite the media as directed via the SCSI interface port 17. The opticaldisk drive 16 is interfaced to the controller 14 by means of the SCSIinterface 42. This provides a convenient universal interface. The LMSIdrive is preferred. The drives 16 can be either LD1200 type(non-jukebox) or LD1250 type (jukebox) without restriction. An LMSIdrive is specified to transfer data at two-hundred-and-sixty-two kilobytes per second in both write and read mode. MOST 10 operates this typeof disk drive 16 in auto rewrite mode, which is faster than autoreallocate in the presence of write errors.

The four physical switches on the front of the optical drives 16 are setat installation. The start switch should be depressed. The write protectswitch should not be depressed. The control module address switch is setto SCSI address 0-3, and the drive address switch is not used.

Operator Consoles

MOST 10 uses the ports 25, 27 and 29 for the operator interface, drivingtwo consoles 24 and 26 locally, or driving one locally and the otherremotely via the modem 56. In most cases, it is not necessary for anoperator to physically handle the media or to be present at the jukebox18 to operate MOST 10. A remote console can also be used as the primaryconsole and may be up to four-hundred feet from MOST 10. The dualconsole support allows for operation of the system while systemmonitoring or diagnostics are performed through the second console. Theremote console 26 can be used through the built in modem. The built inmodem allows a remote user to access the system via telephone. A switchenables this function. The switch is on the controller 14. The integralmodem 56 provides the advantage of being able to perform thesemonitoring or diagnostic tasks from a distal location, such as aregional service center or factory.

MOST 10 includes an operator console which may be a D11 video displayterminal with keyboard which serves the function of the operator setuppanel on IBM 3480 A22 units. The primary video display console 24, witha keyboard and connected to the controller 14, provides visual displayand control as simulated operator control panels of the emulated tapedrives. The displays are similar to those associated with the tapedrives of the IBM 3480. The messages can show drive status, errorinformation, and other action information sent by either the drives 16or the attached host processor 12.

Jukebox

The function of the jukebox 18 is to store disks in physical slots untilthe disks 20 are requested by the operator or host, and then to mount ordismount the disks 20 into the optical drives 16. The functionality ofthe controller 14 ensures that each optical disk 16 appears to the host12 as a collection of one or more virtual tapes. Each virtual tape has avolume and serial number according to IBM convention. A virtual tape canbe selected by the operator for mounting from a directory on the MOSToperator console 24. Mount messages may also be sent by the attachedhost processor 12. If the requested volume resides on a disk which isnot currently mounted, the disk 20 will be retrieved from its storageslot by the robotics of the jukebox 18.

Jukeboxes 18 are robotic systems able to manipulate optical diskcartridges 20, by moving the cartridges 20 among storage slots and thedisk drives 16. The jukebox 18 is controlled via a separately controlledinterface such as the RS232 port 19. The optical disk drives 16 arecontrolled by a separately controlled SCSI interface port 17.

The 1800 series jukebox from Cygnet Systems is preferred. It is a highspeed media handler which supports LMSI, OSI, Optimem and Hitachioptical disk drives. The jukebox 18 will hold ninety-five disks 20 withone drive or will hold seventy-five disks with four drives installed.The Cygnet 1800 jukebox 18 is controlled via the RS232 port 19. TheCygnet jukebox 18 is a dual cartridge transport mechanism and has theability to overlap commands for archiving at high speed. The MOSTcontroller 14 takes full advantage of these features to optimize systemperformance.

The jukebox 18 can hold up to ninety-five optical disks with one opticaldrive 16 providing a storage capacity of two-hundred giga bytes, oreighty-nine disks with two optical drives 16 providing a capacity ofone-hundred-and-eighty-seven giga bytes with two drives. The opticaldrives 16 are typically mounted inside the jukebox 18 on slidesaccessible from the outside. The drives 16 can be installed and removedwithout disassembly of the jukebox. The controller 14 is bolted to thefloor of the jukebox and is also accessible without disassembly of thejukebox modules. The assembled controller 14 is leveled and positionedon the raised floor with tag and bus cables entering through an openingin the bottom and attaching to the controller rear panel. Non-existentdrives 16 are emulated as offline tape drives.

The jukebox 18 is controlled by an intelligent RS-232 controller serialI/O board 44. This serial I/O board 44 is capable of issuing the commandstrings necessary to drive the jukebox 18. The response strings that thejukebox 18 returns are saved in SBC VME Bus memory of the SBC 40 and theSBC 40 is interrupted to interpret them. In this way the SBC 40 is freedfrom the burden of polling necessary when utilizing on-board RS-232ports. The Cygnet Jukeboxis preferred because it is RS232 controlled, isdrive media independent, has high capacity for both drives and media, ishigh speed, is reliable, and is maintainable.

Power Supply

The power supply 22 is a high reliability five-hundred watt switchingpower supply. Eighty amps are provided on the plus five VDC line 23a.Eighteen amps are provided on plus twelve VDC line 23b. Six amps areprovided on minus twelve VDC line 23c. The power supply 22 is fieldselectable between one-hundred-and-fifteen VAC andtwo-hundred-and-thirty VAC configurations. Three fans, not shown, coolthe MOST electronics and the power supply 22.

Single Board Computer

The General Micro System Inc. GMSV06 Single Board Computer is thepreferred SBC 40 and controls all operations of the controller 14. Theboard uses jumpers labeled as follows: W1 is ON for System ControllerEnabled; W3 is ON to Select EPROM 27256 or 27512; W5 is ON for ClockBattery Enabled; W8 is ON for Interrupt Request 1 Enabled; W9-W14 are ONfor Interrupt Requests 2-7 Enabled; W16-18 is ON for Bus to Dram AddressRange; and all other jumper positions are to be considered off ordisabled. The primary intelligence of the controller 14 is the SBC 40.The SBC 40 is based on a ten mega hertz 68010 microprocessor. Thisprocessor runs its code from SBC memory comprising two mega bytes ofno-wait state, dual-ported RAM which is available to the SBC processorand to other VMEBus devices.

The SBC 40 is the system controller for the VMEBus 46 handles theinterrupts. These interrupts are central to all VMEBus based I/Ooperations. The SBC 40 interprets interrupts from each I/O processorincluding the VMEGate 36, the SCSI controller 42, the RS-232 serial I/Oprocessor 44, etc. and coordinates them to route data between the I/Ochannel 34 and the optical disk drives 16.

The SBC 40 is also used for the operator interface by translatingoperator requests to VMEGate and SCSI commands. In MOST 10, the SBC 40also maintains the disk directory on the hard disk 50 by updating thedisk directory as virtual tapes are created or deleted, or when disks 20are imported or exported from the jukebox 18. The SBC 40 is responsiblefor the automatic mounting of virtual tapes based on mount messages.

The SBC 40 has an on-board SCSI interface which is used to communicatewith the floppy and hard drives over SCSI bus 17a. This SCSI interfacecan be used to communicate with the optical drives 16, but this wouldconsume considerable processor time and is not used for this purpose inthe preferred form of the invention. The SCSI interface bus 17a for themagnetic peripherals resides on the SBC 40 and is routed through the I/Oboard 54. The SCSI interface based magnetic media controller board 48 isconnected to the floppy and hard disk drives 50 and 52.

VMEGate

The channel interface with the host computer 12 is performed by theVMEGate 36. The VMEGate 36 is a two card set and is based upon theVMEBus 46. The VMEGate 36 is a high performance bit-slice machine. TheVMEGate processing is based on a sixteen bit ALU and a twelve bitmicrosequencer. These devices run at six mega instructions per secondproviding response time on the channel within one-hundred-and-sixty-sixnanoseconds.

The VMEGate 36 has a bit slice design using a sixteen bit 29101 ALU witha 2910 sequencer. The VMEGate 36 is controlled by a writable controlstore having four-thousand-and-ninety-six words of forty-eight bits.PALs are used extensively to accomplish specific functions at highspeed, the Automated Data Transfer circuitry being an example. TheVMEGate 36 transfers data over the I/O channel 34 using Automatic DataTransfer circuitry. This circuitry allows data rates on the channel torange from interlocked to four-point-five mega bytes per second datastreaming.

The VMEGate 36 provides control of the IBM channel 34 under thesupervision of the SBC 40. Data is transferred to the cache memory 38 bythe bit slice processor in the VMEGate 36. On the VMEBus 46, the VMEGate36 appears as both a master and a slave. As a master, the VMEGate 36 iscapable of transferring data to and from cache memory 38 at fifteen megabytes per second in block mode. Internal FIFOs are used to synchronizedata transfers between the I/O channel 34 and the VMEBus 46. Thedifference in speeds between the transfer rates on the VMEBus 46 and theI/O channel 34 allow two channels to be supported at full data streamingspeeds without approaching the VMEBus bandwidth limits.

The VMEGate 36 receives its commands through an SBC/VMEGate slaveinterface and accepts them through a handshake in SBC memory accessiblethough the VMEBus 46. Upon completion of commands, the VMEGate 36 willinterrupt the SBC 40 at either interrupt levels four or six. The VMEGateinterrupts are also used to alert the SBC 40 to channel activity andcommands. The VMEGate 36 interrupts are placed at the highest level ofpriority so that the channel 34 is never kept waiting for other SBCprocessing to complete. The VMEGate uses a RAM look-up table torecognize its address and to quickly vector to code that interpretsChannel Command Words (CCWs).

The VMEGate 36 is a plug-in VME processor board and interface board cardset. This card set plugs into two slots of the chassis card cage. Theprocessor board, depicted by way of block diagram on FIGS. 3a and 3bcomprises a Clock Generator 78, Writable Control Store 80, AddressBuffer 82, Sequencer Multiplexer 84, Sequencer 86, MicrowordTransceivers 88, Data Out Register 90, Data In Register 92, CommandRegister 94, Map Port 96, 16 Bit Test Multiplexer 98, Test MultiplexerRegister 100, Swap Register 102, Pipeline Register 104, ProcessorDestination. Decode 106, Processor Special Function Decode 108,Processor Source Decode 110, Literal Buffer 112, Port Multiplexer 114,16 Bit Slice ALU 116, Ram Address Register 118, Scratch Pad Memory 120,Scratch Pad Data Memory 122, Command Multiplexer 124, Command ValidatorMemory 126, and Command Buffer 128. The interface board, depicted by wayof block diagram on FIGS. 4a and 4b comprises an Address Transceiver130, 23 Bit Address Counter 132, Address Modifier Register 134, StartStatus Register 136, Interrupt Vector Register 138, Data Transceiver140, Data In Port FIFO 142, Source Buffer 144, VME Data Buffer 146, VMEBus Control Register 148, Interface Destination Decode 150, InterfaceSpecial Function Decode 152, Interface Source Decode 154, Bus InRegister 156, Control Registers 158, eighteen Bit VME Word Counter 160,seventeen Bit Channel Byte Counter 162, Internal Status Register 164,Bus Out Register 166, Data Out Port FIFO 168, Bus Out Buffer 170,Initial Selection Channel Reset Circuit 172, Tag Out Buffer 174,Automated Data Transfer Circuit 176, Bus in Buffer 178, Tag Out Register180 and the Tag In Register 182.

Channel Interface Board

The function of Channel Interface Board (CIB) 64 is to provide for theconnection of the IBM I/O Channel 34 to the MOST Controller 14. It is anactive device requiring +5 VDC from the power supply 22. The I/O Channel34 can be daisy chained with up to seven other IBM channel devices. OneCIB 64 is required with a VMEGate 36 to make a complete channelattachment. When the second CIB 64 is added to a VMEGate 36 the resultis the addition of a two channel static switch. This is a desirablefeature in that it allows redundant access to the unit or access fromeither of two channels from two or one host computers 12. When twoVMEGates 36 are included in the controller 14, it is possible to havefour CIBs 64, and thus, four channels. Only one of the two CIBs 64 for aVMEGate can be active while the other appears to the mainframe computer12 as an offline device.

The CIB 64 has one jumper for selecting one of a plurality of channel.The CIB 64 contains the receiver driver circuitry necessary to properlyinterface with the I/O channel 34. The mainframe computer 12communicates with the peripheral control units through two cables,referred to as BUS and TAG. The BUS cable contains all the data lineswhile the TAG cable contains all the control signals. The BUS and TAG ofthe I/O channel 34 lines are connected to the CIB 64.

Also contained on the CIB 64 is the Select Propagate Relay. The purposeof this relay is to insure that the I/O Channel 34 will continue tooperate even with the VMEGate 36 removed from the VME bus 46. A switchis also provided on the CIB 64 so that the board can be taken offline.Also, a two position jumper is provided so that two CIBs 64 may be usedwith one VMEGate 36.

SCSI Board

The SCSI board 42 is an ANSI, (American National Standards Institutedefined interface X3.131 1986 Revision 17B), interface board andenhances the data transfer rate between the cache memory 38 and thedrives 16. The SCSI board 42 provides intelligent control of the SCSItransfers to and from the optical drives 16. The SCSI interface on theoptical disks 16 is connected to the SCSI board 42 through port 17. TheSCSI board 42 is capable of maintaining different commands for each ofup to seven different SCSI devices. The SBC 40 sets up SCSI CommandDescriptor Blocks in the SBC memory and then sets up pointers and flagsrelating to these commands for the SCSI board 42 to execute. The SCSIboard 42 is capable of having one command outstanding for each attacheddevice.

The Ciprico Rimfire 3500 SCSI Host Bus Adapter Board is the preferredSCSI board 42 and has the BUS REQUEST/GRANT jumper block, numbered 0-3with each column consisting of six pins. The settings are as follows,columns 0, 1, and 2 are set between pins 4 and 5. The last column 3, isset between 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6. The following is the jumperconfiguration to set board address to VME address FF0400: 8 is off, 9 ison, 10 is off, and 11-15 are on.

Data transfers occur between cache memory 38 and the SCSI deviceattached to the SCSI interface port 17. The SCSI board 42 is capable ofsupporting SCSI transfers at four mega bytes per second in synchronousmode and one-point-five mega bytes per second in asynchronous mode.Through the use of FIFOs, the SCSI board 42 can transfer data over theVMEBus 46 at thirty mega bytes per second in block mode. As with theVMEGate 36, the use of FIFOs allows the SCSI board 42 to transfer atfull speed within the VMEBus bandwidth.

The SBC 40 is interrupted by the SCSI board 42 upon completion of eachcommand. The SCSI board 42 senses automatically for commands that returnCheck Condition status. Other errors are reported as well. SCSIintelligent I/O facilities off-load processing from the SBC 40 allowingmore time for the SBC 40 to coordinate the channel 34, optical drive 16,hard drive 50 and operator activities. The use of additional SCSIinterface boards 42 provides for additional jukeboxes in the preferredform of the invention. However, MOST 10 could be modified such that thedisk drives 16 are controlled through the SBC SCSI interface in apedestal configuration.

Cache Memory

A VME bus memory card is provided to serve as cache memory 38. The 3480tape subsystem is a cached device which utilizes read-ahead andwrite-behind techniques. MOST 10 uses similar techniques to improveperformance on the channel 34. The SBC 40 is responsible for cachemanagement, while the VMEGate 36 and SCSI board 42 operate via DMA inand out of the cache memory. The cache memory 38 is a high performancefour megabyte dynamic RAM utilizing block mode transfers.

Data transfer between the cache memory 38 and the optical disk drive 16is managed by the SBC 40. Cache memory 38 increases the effectivetransfer rates. The cache memory 38 provides for temporary storage andrapid transfer of data between the IBM mainframe 12 and optical drives16. The cache memory 38 supports burst channel transfer rates of threeor four-point-five mega bytes per second for up to twelve mega bytes ofdata.

The Micro Memory Inc. MM 6210D memory module board is preferred and isconfigured with a combination of three switches and two jumpers. Theswitches are set closed for SW1 1-8, SW2, 1-5 and 7, and SW3 6, and theremaining switches are set opened. Switch 1 is used for Bank Selection,while switch 2 and switch 3 are used for Module Selection. The jumpersare labeled E1-E6 and are set between E2 and E3 and is used to selectparity to BERR (Bus Error) on one group. The other group is set betweenE4 and E5 and is the parity error reset.

Serial I/O

The serial I/O board 44 includes an RS232 interface for transfer ofcommand and status information between the SBC 40 and the jukebox 18through the RS232 port 19. It is through the RS232 interface of theserial I/O 44 that the jukebox 18 is directed to mount the desiredoptical disk 20 in the appropriate drive 16.

The XYCOM XVME-420 Intelligent Peripheral Controller Module is thepreferred serial input/output interface having four RS-232 ports and oneIEEE-P959 expansion port. The jumper configuration is: J1 is ON betweenpin A and center pin for Bus Grant In; J2 is ON between pin B and thecenter pin for Bus Grant Out; J6 is ON between pin A and the center pinfor Bus Request Out; J3 is ON next to J2 for Address Modifier Selection;J4, J5, J7, J8 are all on for Base Address Selectors; J9 is ON to setthe PROM cycle timing; J10, J11, J12, J13, are set to indicate thememory size of the PROMS; J14 and J15 Indicate the memory size of theram; and J18 is ON but not used.

The jukebox attachment is via an RS232 interface port 19. The port 19provides a single point-to-point connection. Thus, multiple RS232interface ports 19 are required to support multiple jukeboxconfigurations. The five slot chassis typically has only one activeRS232 interface on the Serial I/O 44 for the jukebox 16 and can thereforsupport only one jukebox. The twelve slot chassis may have up to fouractive RS232 interface ports 19 on the serial I/O board 44 to support upto four jukeboxes 18. The use of separate ports 19 for each jukeboxallows multiple units to be controlled without performance degradation.The four RS232 ports 19 are driven by a 68000 microprocessor on theserial I/O board 44.

Magnetic Media Controller

The magnetic media controller 48 provides the control function forreading and writing data to the SBC 40 from the floppy disk drive 52 andhard disk drives 50, through the SCSI bus 17a. OMTI 5200 SCSI controllercard is preferred and manufactured by Scientific Micro System Inc. TheOMTI 5200 is capable of controlling up to four drives two of which maybe five-point-two-five inch or three-point-five inch Winchester harddrives and up to four of any combination five-point-two-five inch oreight inch floppy drives. The jumpers identified as W0, W1, W3, W4 andW7 must be set as follows: W0-4 is on and sets SCSI ID to 4 W1 is set onpin 1 and 2, and enables parity. Both W3 & W4 are on and set theWinchester disk sector size, which is equal to nine multiplied byone-thousand-and-twenty-four bytes per sector; and W7 is on and denotesthe Logical Unit Number 7.

Hard Disk Drive

The Seagate ST-251-1 is preferred and is a forty mega byte WinchesterHard Drive 50 which is jumpered to set this drive as DS1 for DriveSelect 1. MOST 10 is based on the concept of virtual tapes. The hostcomputer 12 has no knowledge of the physical media, and keeps no recordof the optical disks themselves. When the host computer 12 or anoperator requests a certain volume serial number (VSN), MOST mustdetermine which physical optical disk is required, its location andorientation. This requires that a disk directory be maintained by MOST.The disk directory which keeps track of virtual tapes is stored on theWinchester hard drive 50. This hard disk drive 50 provides forty megabytes of data storage with an access time of twenty-eight ms.

Floppy Disk Drive

The NEC FD 1050 series five-point-two-five inch floppy disk drive 52 ispreferred and has jumpers on the drive which are factory set except forthe DRIVE SELECT, which is set for drive select 2. One IBM PC compatiblefloppy drive 52 is used for down loading the software for the SBC 40 andthe microcode for the VMEGate 36. The IBM PC format was chosen so thatfloppy disks can be formatted and duplicated offline on an IBMcompatible personal computer (PC). Floppy disks can also be copied andbacked up. Files can be altered using standard PC software. This featureprovides the ability to modify of SBC software and VMEGate microcodeusing PCs.

Operation

When the controller 14 is powered on, or reset, the SBC 40 automaticallyloads and begins executing the SBC software in the floppy disk drive 52.The SBC software includes modules to control the optical disk drives 16,jukebox 18, and input/output channel 34, as well as performing the IBM3480 cartridge tape drive emulation. Application of power begins anautomatic initialization sequence by the controller 14. A floppy disk isbooted at power on. MOST 10 then proceeds to read several files insequence and perform diagnostics. The operator is kept informed on theprogress of this initialization but has no active role to play.

The jukebox 18 is then initialized and configured. Each storage slot ischecked for the presence of a disk cartridge and the disk directory iscreated. The disk directory is used to ensure that the jukebox 18 doesnot attempt to store a cartridge in an already occupied slot. When theinitialization process is complete, the console 24 has a fulloperational display depicting the A22 Operator Setup Panel of an IBM3480 A22 Control Unit and the four B22 drive displays.

The cache memory 38 increases the effective data rate of the opticaldisk drives 16. The cache 38 is partitioned among the optical diskdrives 16 under management of the SBC 40 of the controller 14. The SBC68010 microprocessor manages the controller 14 while a the VMEGate 36manages channel transfers. Data is transferred between cache 38 and thechannel 34 under control of the VMEGate 36. Data is transferred betweenthe cache 38 and the SCSI bus 17b of the optical drives 16 through, andunder control of the SCSI interface board 42 after the SBC 40 has setupand initiated the data transfer.

The microcode of the VMEGate 36 controls the channel 34, responds toselections, validates addresses and commands, prepares and presentsstatus and transfers data to and from the cache memory 38. The SBC 40manages cache memory 38 and the optical disks 16. The SBC 40 carries outall tape motion commands through buffered manipulations. The SBC 40 alsomanages the logical interface of the operator consoles 24 and 26, andjukebox 18. The SBC 40 initiates SCSI data transfers to and from theoptical disks 16. Data is transferred by DMA once initiated. During readoperations, the cache 38 enables the controller 14 to give rapidresponses to read commands of the host computer 12 by prereadingmultiple records from the drives into the cache 38. Similarly, duringwrite operations, multiple records can be written from the host computer12 into the cache 38.

MOST 10 was designed to minimize the requirement for tape operators. Byretaining the most frequently accessed data in the jukebox 18, thenumber of operator assisted mounts can be significantly reduced. This isaccomplished by MOST 10 acting directly upon the mount requests issuedby the host computer 12 in a 3480 full function environment. The jukebox18 is able to respond to a mount request within ten seconds, that is,the volume will be ready for host access within ten seconds of thereceipt by MOST of the mount request. Consequently both operator andhost time are conserved.

Optical media 20 can be in the drive 16, in which case the virtual tapeis online, or in the jukebox 18, in which case the virtual tape iswithin ten seconds of being online, or on the shelf, in which case anoperator will be required to import the media perhaps requiring a fewminutes. The jukebox 18 is designed to perform two roboticallycontrolled operations concurrently. That is, one drive can be unloadedat the same time the other drive is being loaded. The controller 14 iscapable of controlling up to four jukeboxes 18 concurrently. The jukebox18 provides the functionality of the operator of the IBM 3480 subsystem.The jukebox 18 manages the media and performs the media mounts anddismounts. Mount messages sent by the attached host computer 12 to MOST10 are automatically interpreted and acted. If the requested virtualtape resides on the a disk in the drive, then it will be "mounted"through the action of the controller 14. If the requested volume resideson a disk which is not currently in the drive, then the disk will beretrieved by the jukebox 18, and then mounted. When a requested volumeis not contained in the jukebox 18 an operator will be required to makethe mount. This process is assisted by MOST 10 which will indicate tothe operator the identification number of the required optical media.The operator must then retrieve the media and import it into thejukebox. The jukebox is not opened, rather the media is inserted throughthe "mailbox" opening of the jukebox. The incoming disk 20 is loggedinto the jukebox 18 and made available i.e. mounted. The import processrequires less than twenty seconds.

The MOST controller 14 is also able to seek directly to a record or filewithout the necessity of performing intervening sequential reads. Thisrandom access nature of the optical media is preserved through theretention of tape structures in local memory while tapes are mounted.The Controller 14 implements the high speed record search feature of theIBM 3480 as a random access on disk. Additionally, one key press willready a drive, or rewind or unload a virtual tape. Mounting a virtualtape will most often be accomplished automatically. The operator canmount virtual tapes automatically by pressing a few keys. Also, one keyprovides a display of the virtual tapes contained on the loaded disk.

Media written on any one drive 16 can be read/rewritten by any otherdrive 16. All information required to locate and read data is containedon the disk itself. No other media or data are required to accompany thedisk to enable reading it on a different drive. Individual virtual tapescontaining any type of digital data can be copied from one disk to asecond disk in the same jukebox through the controller without need forhost intervention. Entire disks can be copied in this way. Individualvirtual tapes can be copied from one disk 20 in a first jukebox 18 to asecond disk 20 in a second jukebox 18. If the second jukebox 18 isattached to a second MOST controller 14, then the transfer can be madethrough the I/O channel 34. This appears to the host as a tape-to-tapecopy operation.

Copying a virtual tape to DASD is exactly the same as copying a realtape to DASD. This is one of the advantages of the tape emulationapproach. The storage management facilities already in place to handletape to DASD operations are compatible with MOST. Copying to magnetictape can be accomplished over the I/O channel 34. This operation appearsto the host computer 12 as a standard tape-to-tape copy operation. Whenvirtual tapes are created, the operator has the option of limiting thestorage capacity of the virtual tape to a specific size marked by alogical EOT. This feature can ensure that a virtual tape can be copiedto a single real tape.

Operation Modes

MOST 10 operates in either of the system or manual mode which aredifferentiated by the way in which the virtual tapes are handled. Themode for each drives is individually set. For example, one drive canoperate in system mode, while another operates in the manual mode.

The system mode is the more complex than the manual mode. In the systemmode, MOST 10 responds automatically to mount and dismount requests fromthe host computer 12. If a jukebox 18 is part of MOST 10, this responsemay include robotically retrieving the optical disk 20 on which therequested virtual tape resides. MOST 10 interprets mount and demountmessages from the host 12 and locates and manages VSNs autonomously. Nooperator set up or intervention is required. When MOST 10 receives amount message, it automatically locates the requested VSN and mounts itin the drive 16. With a jukebox 18, this may involve consulting the diskdirectory on the magnetic hard disk 50 to determine the disk locationand side on which the virtual tape VSN is recorded. In the system mode,MOST 10 also employs dynamic drive allocation to eliminate the need forphysically exchanging disks when a virtual tape mount request specifiesa virtual tape that is contained on a disk 20 residing in a drive 16that is allocated to a different channel address.

In the manual mode, the operator responds directly to all mount anddemount requests received from the attached host processor 12. Themanual mode is convenient for MOST systems without a jukebox 18. Theuser has direct control over each mount and dismount. In manual mode,the operator mounts each virtual tape at the moment it is required. Inthis case, the operator may work off of a job control sheet which tellswhat tapes to mount or be prompted by mount messages from the hostcomputer 12.

When a mount message appears, the operator must determine if therequested volume serial number is on the currently mounted disk. Thistask can be done by MOST 10 at the operator's request. The operator usesthe F11 function key to indicate LOCATE VOL/SER. MOST searches the tapedirectory of the mounted disk for the volume and serial number currentlyin the mount message. MOST then indicates FOUND or NOT FOUND. If found,the operator mounts the volume using the F13 function key of theoperator console 24. If not found, the operator uses the F15 functionkey to eject the disk so a new one can be loaded.

If the mount is not in response to a mount message, the operator mustspecify the volume and serial number using the F11 function key followedby the six character volume and serial number. The operator can mount avolume other than that which appears in the mount message by depressingthe ESC key and then the F11 function key and then entering the volumeand serial number. The area below the REW, UNL, RDY/NOT READY switchesis used to display the progress of these actions. The manual mode ischaracterized by the operator having to make each switch actuation.

MOST eliminates the need for many operator tape mounts. MOST 10 systemwith two drives 16 is the equivalent of eight-hundred-and-ten mountedreels of tape. When mounts are required, MOST 10 verifies that theoptical media was imported into the jukebox 18 to ensure that therequested volume was provided. Importing errors are found beforeprocessing can begin.

Data safety is ensured by key lock access into the jukebox 18. Inaddition, the data is write protected in three ways. Write protection isby a drive write protect switch, by a media cartridge write protectswitch, and by a virtual write protect indicator which can be recordedin each individual virtual tape.

Error Handling

Error detection in MOST 10 is provided. In the controller 14, parity isused to check the integrity of data. Parity is of course included on theI/O channel 34, and is also used in and out of cache memory and acrossthe SCSI interface bus 17b. The jukebox 18 also employs error detectionboth on the RS232 communication link 19 and internally.

The optical disk drives 16 use Reed-Soloman ECC to ensure the integrityof recorded data. All data is written to the disk with ECC check sums,which are used to detect and correct errors during both read and writeoperations. The use of these techniques provides an error rate of lessthan one bit in a trillion at the end of the thirty year media lifetime.

Errors from each drive 16 can be logged by the mainframe in standardEREP format. Where possible, specific errors are translated into themost reasonable magnetic tape equivalent. For example, a command tobackspace at BOT is logged as an equivalent magnetic equipment error.

Emulation

Tape emulation means that commands sent via the I/O Channel 34 areinterpreted and handled as if MOST 10 were a 3480 tape system. Theemulation of the 3480 is accomplished by the controller 14 responding tochannel commands as would a 3480 magnetic tape subsystem. Host softwarewhich is compatible with the 3480 is compatible with MOST including thevirtual operating systems, Job Entry Systems, D-Base-two databaseprograms, and hierarchical storage managers. Programs written for the3480 using full function support which manipulate the B22 displays foroperator mounts will instead manipulate the jukebox 18. Hardwarediagnostics for the 3480 will not in general run on MOST because thereare specific implemental distinctions.

The emulation is accomplished through microcode in the VMEGate 36 andsoftware in the SBC 40. The VMEGate 36 is responsible for allcommunication with the I/O channel 34, i.e. selection, commands, unitstatuses, reselection and resets. The VMEGate 36 interrupts the SBC 40when internal states need to be changed and when data is present onwrites or when data is required on reads. The VMEGate 36 provides theflexibility required for emulation. For instance, an auxiliary set ofCCWs (Channel Command Words) to augment the 3480 command set could becreated. A "seek logical block address" command could be defined toallow true random access. Using the VMEGate 36 microprogrammingflexibility, the emulation by MOST 10 system can be modified in responseto user's needs or changing technology.

MOST 10 uses a disk directory to determine which disk 20 and sidecontains a particular VSN and where in the jukebox 18 the disk 20 islocated. Because optical disks 20 can be exported and imported from thejukebox 18, the disk directory can change periodically. When a mountrequest for a particular VSN is received, the hard disk 50 locates thedisk, side and storage slot of the optical disk 20. The jukebox 18 isthen instructed to make a retrieval of the optical disk 20. When opticaldisk 20 is imported it is first mounted in an optical drive 16 for atape directory read and then the hard disk 50 is updated. The hard disk50 is also updated when a VSN is created or deleted. The jukebox 18requires that the disk directory of disks 20 be maintained. Recorded onthe hard disk drive 50 are the VSNs of every virtual tape in the jukebox18. The disk directory can have several thousand entries.

There are two types of operations that cause the disk directory on thehard disk drive 50 to be accessed. The first type is operator initiatedand the second is channel initiated. Operator initiated accesses arecaused when new optical disks are added to or old ones deleted, or whena user wants to know which disks are in the library or wants to manuallymount a particular virtual tape. Channel initiated disk directoryaccesses are caused by mount messages from the mainframe 12. In thiscase, the SBC software searches the disk directory for the location ofthe requested virtual tape. Once the virtual tape is found, the SBCsoftware will cause the optical disk containing the virtual tape to beloaded and present appropriate status to the channel. The disk directoryis capable of referencing millions of virtual tapes and tens ofthousands of optical disks. A single virtual tape can be found in lessthan a second.

Information stored in the disk directory includes the history of themost recent access so that rarely accessed optical disks can be migratedout of the library and heavily used optical disks can be retained. Otherinformation stored in the disk directory is the "pool type", whichdefines a given tape as being a scratch or a private tape. The scratchtapes are mounted in response to specific mount messages which requestthe next available scratch tape. Data is written on the scratch tapeafter which the pool type is converted to the private type. Virtualtapes can be assigned to scratch or private pools.

New optical disks 20 are brought into the library via function keyrequests from the console 24. Whenever a new optical disk 20 isimported, the disk directory is updated with all the virtual tapesstored on the new disk. If any virtual tapes already exist with the samename, the operator is prompted to rename the virtual tape or export theoptical disk. Similarly, when a disk 20 is exported from the library,the disk directory is updated to indicate that the virtual tapes storedon the disk are no longer available locally.

When a disk 20 is imported to the jukebox 18, it is first read andcataloged. The disk identification and tape directory are read. Theseare entered into the disk directory. The disk 20 is then flipped and theopposite side cataloged. The disk 20 is then assigned to a free slot inthe jukebox 18. During the course of operation, VSNs may be created ordeleted. The disk directory is updated to reflect these operations. Whena disk 20 is exported from the jukebox 18, the disk directory entriesare deleted and the previously assigned slot is designated as free.

To achieve tape emulation, each optical disk contains one or morevirtual tapes. These virtual tapes are created by an operator prior totheir use by the mainframe. Once a virtual tape is mounted from thoseavailable on a given disk 20, no other virtual tapes on that disk may beaccessed by the mainframe until the first virtual tape is dismounted.Each disk 20 represents "virtual" tapes. In the handling of virtualtapes, MOST 10 does not to limit in advance either the number of tapesor their length. A user is free to create a single virtual tape of onegiga byte or hundreds of short tapes on a disk 20. The tape directory isflexible enough to accommodate a full range tap maps. The optical disk20 is write once and pointers cannot be updated or altered once writtenand writing of partial sectors is not allowed. This means that some formof caching must be performed at least on the sector level. One of thekey features of the optical disk 20 is its random access nature. The3480 also employs a sequential seek feature which can be emulated usingrandom access.

Dataset to VSN index is Maintained by the host using TMC, UCC-1 orsimilar programs. MOST has no responsibility for this function. VSN tooptical disk directory is maintained by MOST on the hard disk drive 50cross referencing virtual tape VSNs to physical media. This includesknowing the shelf or jukebox location of the media, the jukebox and slotposition of the media, and the orientation side A or B of the media.Most maintains a system of pointers one each side of an optical diskpointing to user records for each virtual tape recorded on that side.The system of pointers include a disk Id, the tape directory and tapmaps. The VSN tape Directory is maintained by MOST on each optical diskside. MOST maintains this tape directory for all of the VSNs recorded onthe optical disk side. This tape directory points to a tape map for eachvirtual tape. The tape maps are maintained by MOST on each optical diskside. MOST maintains the system of pointers separate from the userrecords. This allows the tape maps to be loaded into MOST memory theentire time that the virtual tape is mounted. The system of pointersprovides the pointers necessary to access any user record on the virtualtape. By reference to system of pointers, tape motion commands can beresolved to seek addresses on the optical disk. Keeping the system ofpointers in local memory reduces accesses to the disk, and speedssequential tape operations. The controller 14 stores tape maps of thevirtual tapes mounted in each optical drive 16 in its local memory. Theavailability of the tape maps permits the controller 14 to make randomaccess seeks on the optical disks 16 in response to tape motioncommands. This enhances performance by eliminating sequentialoperations. When tapes are updated, e.g. records are rewritten orappended, the tape map is updated in local memory while the data isrecorded on the optical disk 20. When the volume is closed, the updatedtape map is written to the optical disk 20. Prior to ejecting an opticaldisk, the tape directory including tape data is written on the opticaldisk side. Contiguous user records may overlap physical sectorboundaries on the media itself. The tape map pointers include sectoraddresses and offsets within the sectors to account for thisoverlapping.

The optical disk 20 is made up of one-thousand-and-twenty-four bytesectors. These sectors can be written and read sequentially from thestart of the optical disk through to the end. The disks 20 can also beaccessed randomly with the risk that rotational latency can occur whilethe read/write head is seeking. When writing, the sequential nature ofthe optical disk 20 provides a good emulation of tape activity. This isbecause successive records are written sequentially on tape.

With a normal tape emulation, the random access nature of the opticaldisk would not offer many advantages because the mainframe would onlyaccess the data sequentially anyway. However, the 3480 tape drive offersa special "Locate Block" Channel Command Word (CCW). This CCW allows themainframe to select a particular record which the drive will search forin an offline manner. This random access feature allows the MOST systemconsiderable advantage over a tape for this type of command. The tapemap structure allows for random access, taking full advantage of thisCCW.

Another constraint of the optical disk 20 is the Write Once nature ofthe media. Because of this, a virtual tape which has had data rewrittento it will not store the data sequentially on the disk 20 even though itmust be read sequentially from the virtual tape. Once again the tapemap, stored for each virtual tape on the optical disk, is used to keeptrack of where on the disks 20 each record is stored and the locationwithin the virtual tape of tape marks.

The emulation using write once optical media means that the datastructures which represent the tape must be managed. The data structurerequires updating and random access to records and files. Write oncemeans that an entire sector, one-thousand-twenty-four bytes on theLD1200 from LMSI, is written and cannot be altered once written thefirst time. A user cannot write half a sector and come back to write thesecond half at a later time, or add a pointer to the end of a sectorafter the sector has been written.

The individual manufacturer's drive characteristics influence theimplementation of the emulation. Optical drives 16 are available withSCSI interfaces as a standard electrical interface in common at port 17.Unique attributes of the drives prevent a general solution applicable toall drive vendors. Error correction illustrates this point, in that, twoerror correction methods are employed, a write followed by a separateread, and a write with a simultaneous read. The Optimem drive representsthe first method while LMSI represents the second.

The Optimem drive require that a write must be followed by a read toverify the data. If a single sector is written, one revolution time islost before the sector rotates under the head to be read. If manysectors are written they can be written as a group, then read andverified as a group and the bad sectors rewritten, and of coursereverified. With an LMSI drive a simultaneous read is performed whenwriting as a Direct Read During Write. If a sector is bad the data isslipped to the next sector and rewritten. In this scheme time is lostonly when errors are detected. The disadvantage is that more rewriteswill occur because the error correction circuit can not decide in timewhether an error was detected, and because a sector which hascorrectable errors could be flagged as bad and rewritten. With LMSI, badsectors are slipped. One cannot know in advance where a write willterminate. In any format, a certain number of sector slips must beallowed. With Optimem's autorelocation, a band of sectors are used toreplace faulty sectors. One of the relocation sectors is mapped in tosubstitute for the bad sector. This introduces seek delays. Both methodshave benefits. The Optimem is faster when reading. LMSI is faster whenwriting. LMSI is more stringent on errors, while Optimem is moreconservative of media. The preferred emulation is based on the LMSILD1200 drive.

The 3480 tape system uses specific delimiters to separate and identifydata areas. The tape begins with a BOT (Beginning of Tape) and ends withan EOT (End of Tape). Files are separated by a tape marks (TM) and userrecords within files are separated by interblock gaps (IBGs). Inaddition to the user record, the 3480 record fields include preambles,prefixes, residual bytes, completion bytes, end of data marks andpostambles. These fields are required for error correction and tape datasynchronization. An emulation of the 3480 need not faithfully reproduceall these fields because many are stripped off in the tape subsystem andnever made available to the host. The residual frame must be preservedin some form because it contains the logical id. Error detection andcorrection is done by the optical disk so all of the ECC related fieldscan be discarded. The BOT, TM, IBG, and EOT are essential and thesedelimiters are built into the emulation.

Each optical drive 16 in the system is emulated as one half of a 3480B22 tape drive. In the 3480 emulation, each optical drive 16 in MOST 10represents a single tape drive and one online channel address. Theallocation between optical drives and channel addresses is soft and isallocated prior to the mounting of virtual tapes. While a virtual tapeis mounted, the allocation between an optical drive 16 and a channeladdress is fixed. This allocation may be dynamically changed when avirtual tape is rewound and unloaded. When the mainframe requests aparticular tape, it sends a mount message to the display of the 3480drive. Under emulation, this message is displayed on the console 24. The3480-A11 model appears to be a reduced speed version of the A22, it doesnot data stream, transferring data at only one-point-five mega bytes persecond. MOST can operate in non data streaming mode as well, and canemulate the A11 model. With the exception of hardware specificdiagnostic responses e.g. Format 19 sense data, the responses providedby MOST are identical.

Optical Disk Layout

Referring to FIG. 6, data on the disk 20 is structured. The LD1200 diskdrive 16 uses optical disks 20 which contain 1,024,000 sectors per side.Each sector contains one kilo bytes and is referred to as a LogicalBlock. Each Logical Block is identified by a unique Logical BlockAddress or LBA. The LD1200 disks drives 16 are used in Auto Rewritemode. This means that defective sectors will be rewritten in the nextsector. Any rewritten sectors will be reported after the write iscomplete.

When a disk is first read, after drive spin up, the disk id 300 is read.The disk id 300 comprises ID Bytes 302, Disk Type 304, Disk Label, andReserved 308. The Disk label 306 identifies the disk for the user andfor a jukebox 18. The Disk label 306 is an ASCII field ten bytes long,nine ASCII bytes followed by either an A or a B to indicate the diskside. Both sides of the disk 20 are given the same first ninecharacters. Preceding the disk label 306 is a sixteen byte ID Bytes 302data pattern which identifies the sector as one containing the currentdisk ID 300. If the disk label 306 is blank upon the first use of thedisk 20, the operator will be prompted to enter the desired id number inthe disk label 306. The id number is used in the disk directory whenreferring to the disk 20. The disk id 300 contains the identifyingnumber of the disk itself. Users determine this number and label thedisk cartridge externally with this number. In manual systems, it isuseful to assign an id number which relates to the VSNs to be stored onthe disk e.g. 123800 could contain one-hundred virtual tapes having VSNsfrom 123800 to 123899.

Sectors are used sequentially. The Disk ID 300 is stored within the DiskID Logical Block Address 310. Two fixed addresses are employed, LBA zero312 and LBA thirty-two 314. Logical Block Address (LBA) zero is thestart of the Disk ID LBA space 310. Thirty two sectors are set aside forthe disk id LBA space 310 which allow a disk 20 to be renumbered(relabeled) up to thirty-one times. Thus the purpose of the disk id LBAspace 310 is to provide an alterable identification of the disk 20. Thecurrent disk ID 300 occupies one LBA and there is only one valid disk IDat any given time. The first disk ID 300 is written into LBA zero 312and each time the disk ID 300 is changed the new disk ID 300 is writteninto the next available sector in the Disk LBA space 310. Because thedisk enables up to five rewrites in order to write one sector, noattempts will be made to write the disk ID 300 beyond sector twenty-six.Since rewrites may occur in sectors between zero and twenty-five it ispossible that the user may not get the full twenty-five possiblerewrites, thus it is recommended that the disk not be issued a new diskID 300 except when absolutely necessary. When the operator renames adisk 20, the maximum number of rewrites is available based on thecurrent number of remaining sectors before sector twenty-six. (See theDisk ID Sector Format Table).

The other fixed LBA 314 is the start of the first tape directory LBAband 316. Data is stored according to tape directories 318a or 318bthrough 318c. The tape directory 318 lists the current virtual tapescontained on the side. The first tape directory band 316 starts at LBAthirty-two and extends through LBA two-hundred-and-eighty-seven, thatis, these sectors are reserved exclusively for storing the tapedirectory 318. A new tape directory 318 is written each time a VSN iscreated, deleted or written into prior to ejection. It is possible thatthe first two-hundred-and-fifty-six tape directory LBA band 316 would beexhausted. Additional tape directory LBA bands 320 may be used wherebyan additional two-hundred-and-fifty-six sector band 320 is allocatedbeginning at the next blank sector on the disk 20 when the first band316 is exhausted.

The tape directory 318 comprises an ID Byte 322, tape data 324a, 324bthrough 324c for each virtual tape, and a continuation byte pointer 326.Each virtual tape has respective tape data 324 comprising ID bytes 328,volume serial number (VSN) 330, sector count 332, tape map pointer 334,tape length 336, and a pool type/write protect indicator 338. The tapedirectory 318 contains an alphabetized list of all virtual tapes 324a to324b that are on one side of an optical disk 20. Like the Disk ID 300,the last tape directory 318 written is the only valid tape directory.Unlike the Disk ID 300, the only limit to the number of times that thetape directory 318 can be rewritten is the space remaining on theoptical disk 20.

When a disk 20 is loaded into a drive 16, the SBC software reads thetape directory 318 from the disk 20 and presents the operator with alist of the virtual tapes on the disk side. The tape directory 318identifies the virtual tapes on the disk side. Associated with eachvirtual tape is the respective tape data 324a to 324c. The longest tapedirectory 318 occupies thirty-two sectors and identifies approximatelytwo-thousand virtual tapes. Tape directories 318 are written into bands320 of two-hundred-fifty-six sectors which are set aside for thispurpose. New tape directories 318 are written immediately following thelast tape directory. When a band 320 fills up a pointer to the next bandis written at the end of the current band 320. The pointer is stored inthe two-hundred-and-fiftieth sector following the beginning of the band320. The first band 316 starts at LBA thirty-two and extends throughtwo-eighty-seven. (See the Tape Directory Format Table).

The tape map pointer 334 points to a respective tape map 348 of eachvirtual tape. The tape map 348 comprises ID bytes 342, sector count 344,VSN 346 and map data 348a, 348b through 348c each of which comprises atype identifier 350, accumulative length 352, block length 354, recordpointer 356 and record offset 358 for each user record 362 on the tape.The tape map 348 provides the functions of BOT, EOT, IBG and TM. Therecord pointer 356 plus the offset 360 which is specified by the Byteoffset 358 determines where the individual user records 362 are storedon the disk 20.

When a virtual tape VSN is mounted a copy of the tape map 340 is readinto the controller 14. Subsequent tape motion commands do not requireaccess to the disk, for example, a forward space file command is handledin the controller 14 by consulting the stored copy of the tape map 340and making the necessary pointer adjustments at high speed. The tape map340 points to each data record 362 through respective map data 348. Inorder to conserve media, a record 362 need not start on a sectorboundary. The record pointer 356 requires only the record offset 358 tolocate the data record 366. A data record 362 is held in the controller14 until a sector is full or a tape motion command is issued. Holdinguser data 362 in the controller 14 achieves the data rates of the LD1200optical disk drive 20.

A 3480 cartridge tape records data in user records 362. Sets of records362 are separated into files by tape marks. Each record 362 and tapemark is assigned a sequential Block ID by virtue of its sequential orderin the tape map 340. The first record or tape mark on a tape is assignedBlock ID one, then two, then three etc. Mainframe commands (CCWs) areavailable to cause the 3480 to move the tape forward and backward onerecord, one tape mark or to a specific block. MOST 10 emulates thesefunctions through the use of the tape map 340. Each virtual tape has arespective tape map 340. The tape map 340 contains the locations of eachuser record 362 and each tape mark that is written to the virtual tape.The tape map 340 is only altered when a user record 362 or a tape markis written to the virtual tape. When a tape mark is written to thevirtual tape the block length 354, record pointer 356, and record offset358 are not used.

When a virtual tape is mounted, its tape map 340 is read into SBCmemory. When it is dismounted, the tape map 340, if it has been altered,is written onto the disk 20. The pointer 334 to the tape map 340 isrecorded in the tape directory 318 for each virtual tape. The tape map340 cannot exceed three-hundred-eighty-four kilo bytes in length. Eachmap data entry 348, whether it indicates a user record 362 or a tapemark, occupies fourteen bytes. Approximately twenty-eight-thousandentries will fit into a Tape Map. The location of the map data for arespective block, i.e. a user record or a tape mark, within the tape map340 can be found by multiplying fourteen by the sum of the Block ID plustwo. (See Tape Map Format Table, and see Tape Map Data Format Table).

User records 362 written by the Mainframe 12 to a virtual tape, arestored sequentially on the optical disk 20. Each record 362 consists ofa header followed by the data. The header identifies the data whichfollows by naming the virtual tape it is written on, identifies thelength of the record, or in the case of Long Records identifies thelength of the segment, and identifies and the Block ID of the record.The header also contains a twelve byte Record Identifier which indicatesthat a record follows. When a user data record 362 is written, itslocation on disk is stored in the record pointer 356 in the tape map348. The length of the user record 362 is stored in the Block Lengthfield 354 of the same tape data entry 348. Records always start on evenbyte boundaries within a sector. Many records 362 may exist in a singlesector, and a single record 362 may span multiple sectors. (See the DataRecord Format Table).

    ______________________________________                                        Disk ID Sector Format Table                                                   byte(s)     value (hex)   meaning                                             ______________________________________                                        0-15        6F,7D,21,F6   Disk ID follows                                                 30,3B,8D,1C                                                                   E0,1B,24,9D                                                                   80,73,E7,E0                                                       16-25                     ASCII Disk ID                                       26-1023     FFH           Reserved                                            ______________________________________                                    

    ______________________________________                                        Tape Directory Format Table                                                   byte(s)    value (hex) meaning                                                ______________________________________                                        First Sector Information                                                      0-15       35,55,55,CC,                                                                              Identification of sector as                                       B2,F5,FA,3F,                                                                              Start of Tape Directory                                           64,B4,32,CB,                                                                  B4,14,6A,CC                                                        16-31      see below   Virtual Tape Information                                                      (first VT)                                             32-47      see below   Virtual Tape Information                                                      (second VT)                                                                   may continues through                                                         several sectors                                        Next to last                                                                             see below   Virtual Tape Information                               16 bytes:              (last VT)                                              Last 16    2B,EB,22,4C Identifier for end of Tape                             bytes:     54,C9,C8,DC Directory                                                         D0,15,9D,18                                                                   LBA         First LBA not written                                  Virtual Tape Information                                                      0                  02H     Virtual Tape Information                           1-6                ASCII   Volume ID assigned by user                         7                  hex     sector length of Tape Map                                                     (with byte 13, bit 2)                              8-11               LBA     Tape Map Pointer                                   12                 hex     Maximum Length of Tape in                                                     tens of Megabytes                                  13         bitwise bit 0:  0 Un-File Protected                                                           1 Write Protected                                                     bit 1:  0 Scratch pool                                                                1 Private pool                                                        bit 2:  0 Tape Map length is byte 7                                                   1 Tape Map length is 256K                                                     plus byte 7                                        14-15              FFH     reserved                                           ______________________________________                                    

    ______________________________________                                        Tape Map Format Table                                                         byte     value (hex) meaning                                                  ______________________________________                                        0-11     52,BD,76,16 Start of Tape Map Identifier                                      B6,32,75,56                                                                   67,83,3B,B0                                                          12       n           Number of total sectors in                                                    Tape Map                                                 13-18    ASCII       Volume ID (repeated from                                                      Tape Directory)                                          19-27    00H         reserved                                                 28-41    see below   Map Data (first record or                                                     tape mark)                                               42-55    see below   Map Data (second record or                                                    tape mark)                                               Fourteen byte entries to end of Tape Map.                                     ______________________________________                                    

    ______________________________________                                        Tape Map Data Format Table                                                    byte     value (hex)                                                                             meaning                                                    ______________________________________                                        0        04H       Normal Record                                              1        00        Reserved                                                   2-5      hex       Cumulative Length.                                                            The amount of data and tape marks                                             that has been written to tape                                                 prior to and including this                                                   record. Amount includes four kilo                                             byte simulated Interblock Gap for                                             each Block ID.                                             6-9      hex       Block Length (maximun 256K).                                                  Length of this record.                                     10-13    hex       Absolute Address of Record.                                                   Starting LBA of data Record                                                   found by shifting right 10 bits.                                              Offset within sector is 10 least                                              significant bits. OR                                       0        05H       Tape Mark                                                  1        00        Reserved                                                   2-5      hex       Cumulative Length.                                                            The amount of data and tape marks                                             that has been written to tape                                                 prior to this record plus                                                     simulated IBGs, in addition to 2K                                             simulated tape mark and 4K                                                    simulated IBG.                                             6-13     00H       Reserved OR                                                0        06H       Long Record                                                2-5      hex       Cumulative Length.                                                            Same as Normal Record above.                               6- 9     hex       Block Length (minimum 256K).                                                  Length of this record. Segments                                               are written sequentially onto                                                 disk in 256K blocks. Last                                                     segment is less than or equal to                                              256K.                                                      10-13    hex       Absolute Address of Record.                                                   Starting LBA of data Record.                                                  found by shifting right 10 bits.                                              Long Record always starts on                                                  sector boundary. OR                                        00 to end                                                                              00        Reserved.                                                  of sector                                                                     End of sector                                                                          0FF       End of Tape Map,                                                              no more Map Data.                                          ______________________________________                                    

    ______________________________________                                        Data Record Format Table                                                      byte    value      meaning                                                    ______________________________________                                        0-10    AC,20,42,3F                                                                              Header follows                                                     D0,0F,AD,26                                                                   73,99,FF                                                              11      FF         Normal Record                                                                 The Record (or final segment of                                               Long Record) that follows is                                                  less than 256K. OR                                         11      F0         Long Record                                                                   The next 256K bytes that follow                                               are a segment of a Long Record.                            12-17   ASCII      Volume/Serial Number of Virtual                                               Tape.                                                      18-19   hex        Block ID where this Record                                                    resides on Virtual Tape.                                   20-23   hex        Length of data which follows.                              24-27   FF         Reserved.                                                  remaining                                                                             hex        data of Length specified in                                bytes:             bytes 20-23.                                               ______________________________________                                    

Disk Directory

The disk directory is stored on the hard drive 50. The arrangement ofmultiple-byte words on the hard drive 50 conforms to the 68000convention, that is, the most significant byte first and the leastsignificant byte last. The hard disk 50 comprises six track per cylinderusing six read-write heads, eight-hundred-and-twenty cylinders, ninesectors per track and one-thousand-and-twenty-four bytes per sector.There is a jumper setting for the sector size. There are 44,280 sectorsnumbered from zero to 44,279.

For the disk directory, the hard disk is divided into 5535 blocks ofeight consecutive sectors each. The blocks are numbered from zero to5534. The disk directory layout is: the bootstrap in sectors zero tothree, and, the block allocation table in sectors four to fourteen withsector fifteen reserved, for blocks zero and one; the optical disk tablein blocks two to one-hundred-twenty-nine; the optical disk pointer tablein blocks one-hundred-and-thirty to one-hundred-and-thirty-seven; andthe tape tables in blocks one-hundred-and-thirty-eight to 5466. Theremaining sixty-seven-and-a-half blocks are used for remapping withone-half block reserved.

The layout of each entry in the optical disk table is: Name using ninebytes, Reserved using eleven bits, Slot using four bits, Side Up usingone bit, Location using one byte, Pointer To First Tape using fourbytes, Pointer To Last Tape using four bytes, and Reserved using twelvebytes, for a total of thirty-two bytes. There are at most 32,768 entriesin the disk table. If the first character of the name is a zero byte,the entry is empty and marks the end of the disk table. The last entry,if it is used at all, is of this type, so the number of disks is limitedto 32,767.

The disk table is maintained as a series of alphabetically sorted listsfor each attached jukebox zero to four, designated from zero to fourteenand a remote storage designated fifteen, for up to five alphabeticallists. The optical disk table entry can be represented by the followingDisk Table C Definitions and Structures Table.

The location and orientation of the optical disk 20 is represented bytwo bytes where bit fifteen is the most significant as follows: bitsfifteen to six for slot number of the jukebox; bits five to one forjukebox designation zero to fourteen and remote storage fifteen; and bitzero for orientation with a zero specifying side A and a one specifyingside B.

The optical disk pointer table is a list of indirect pointers to entriesin the optical disk table. Each entry is one word long which is twobytes long, and contains a number between zero and 32,766, inclusive,which points to the corresponding entry in the optical disk table. Thenumber 32,767 cannot occur because the last entry in the disk table isalways empty, so it is used to indicate an empty location in the diskpointer table. When a disk is moved, its optical disk table entry andothers must be moved to keep the optical disk table in the correctorder. The corresponding pointers in the optical disk pointer table arethen modified, but not moved.

The starting block numbers of the tape tables are computed in a straightforward manner as specified in the following Starting Block ComputationTable. The parameter TABLES is the number of tape tables preferablypredefined atone-hundred-and-twenty-eight. The format of each entry in atape table is as follows: compressed name for four bytes; disk and sidefor two bytes; pointer to next tape four bytes; and reserved for sixbytes, for a total of sixteen bytes. Pointers in the tape tables arenumerous and scattered but are not changed when a disk is moved.

The word that determines the optical disk and side has the followingformat: bit fifteen with a zero for side A and a one for side B; andbits fourteen to zero is the index to disk pointer table. The entry isreferenced by the Disk Entry C Language Table. The compressed name isformed from the six-character tape name which is also called a volumeserial number, in the following manner. Each character is firstconverted to a number between zero and thirty-six according to thefollowing very simple scheme: space character for number zero; zero tonine characters for number one to ten; and A-Z character for numberseleven to thirty-six. Then, if the numbers corresponding to the 6characters are a, b, c, d, e and f, in left-to-right order, thecompressed name is ((((a*37+b)*37+c)*37+d)*37+e)*37+f+1. The two extremevalues zero and FFFFFFFFh cannot occur, so they are used to mark avacant entry within or at the end of the table, respectively.

The alphabetical order of two 6-character names is always the same asthe numerical order of the corresponding compressed names usingthirty-two unsigned arithmetic. This fact can be used to keep the namesin sorted order. Given a compressed name, the numbers a, b, c, d, e andf, and hence the original characters, can be recovered as follows:subtract one; divide by thirty-seven, the remainder is f; divide thequotient by thirty-seven, the remainder is e; divide the quotient bythirty-seven, the remainder is d; divide the quotient by thirty-seven,the remainder is c; divide the quotient by thirty-seven, the remainderis b, and the quotient is a.

The tapes are assigned .to tape tables by first hashing the compressedname and then dividing the result by the number of tables. The remainderis the number of the tape table. A compressed name is hashed as follows:Shift the name eight bits to the right while filling in with zeros whichwill cause at most two-hundred-and-fifty-six consecutive names to beassigned to the same table, and because tapes are often mountedconsecutively, the tape table block will often be in memory already andwill not have to be reread from disk; and then exchange the odd and evenbits of the result, such that each tape table grows within its assignedfirst block until it fills it up.

There is one two-byte entry in the block allocation table for each blockon the disk. However, only entries corresponding to the part of the diskused for the tape tables actually mean anything. Initially, the blockallocation table entry for the starting block of each tape table isFFFFh, which means that the corresponding block is the last block in thechain allocated to a table, and every other entry in the table is zero,indicating that the corresponding block is unused.

When a new tape table entry is inserted, it is put into the first vacantentry in the appropriate table. If this was the last entry, then a newlast entry, marked by a compressed name of FFFFFFFFh, must be appended.If the last block in the chain allocated to the tape table is full, anew block must be allocated. The new block is always the first unusedblock after the last block in the chain. Normally, this will be the nextconsecutive block, but when a tape table expands up to the next tapetable, the next block will be nonconsecutive. In either case, the blockallocation table is updated so the entry for the new last block ischanged from zero to FFFF, and the entry for the old last block ischanged from FFFF to the block number of the new last block. For thepurpose of determining the next unused block, the area assigned to tapetables (blocks one-hundred-and-thirty-eight to 5466) is treated ascircular, i.e., block one-hundred-and-thirty-eight follows block 5466.

At all times, the blocks allocated for a tape table are determined by achain in the block allocation table. The entry for each block allocatedto the table contains the number of the next block, except for the lastblock, whose entry is FFFF. Once a block is allocated, it is neverdeallocated unless the data base is reinitialized.

    ______________________________________                                        Disk Table C Definitions and Structures Table                                 ______________________________________                                        typedef struct {                                                                     unsigned reserved                                                                        :     8;                                                           unsigned unused                                                                          :     1;                                                           unsigned pool                                                                            :     1;                                                    /* 0=scratch, 1=private tape table entry only */                                     unsigned block                                                                           :     13;                                                          unsigned index                                                                           :      9;                                                   } tape entry pointer                                                          typedef struct {                                                                     char name[9];                                                                 unsigned char reserved1;                                                      unsigned char slot                                                                           :     11;                                                      unsigned char location                                                                       :      4;                                               unsigned side up    :     1;                                                         tape entry pointer first tape;                                                tape entry pointer last tape;                                                 unsigned char reserved2[12];                                           } disk table entry;                                                           ______________________________________                                    

    ______________________________________                                        Starting Block Computation Table                                              table 0 using starting block number 138;                                      table 1 using starting block number 138 + 5329/TABLES;                        table 2 using starting block number 138 + 2 * (5329/TABLES);                  table 3 using starting block number 138 + 3 * (5329/TABLES);                  etc.                                                                          If the quotient 5329/TABLES is not an integer,                                then it is truncated to the next lower integer value.                         Disk Entry C Language Table                                                   typedef struct {                                                              unsigned long compressed.sub.-- name;                                         unsigned short disk.sub.-- and.sub.-- side;                                   tape.sub.-- entry.sub.-- pointer next.sub.-- tape;                            unsigned char reserved[6];                                                    } tape.sub.-- table.sub.-- entry;                                             ______________________________________                                    

Operator Interface

MOST 10 is equipped with at least one operator console 24. This consoleis used for controlling MOST, setting the operating mode, mounting anddismounting tapes, creating and deleting tapes, etc. The operatorconsole 24 provides a user interface through which the operator canimport and export disks 20 from the jukebox 18 as well as creatingvirtual tapes. MOST 10 also supports dual operator consoles 24 and 26having video screen displays to enable operation from two locations. Theaddition of a second operator console 26 allows for both local andremote operation of MOST 10. The remote console 26 provides identicalfunctionality to that of the primary console 24.

The consoles 24 and 26 provide the functions of an IBM 3480 A22 operatorsetup panel and an IBM 3480 B22 operator displays. The displays areidentical to those found associated with two tape drives of an IBM 3480B22 unit. The messages show drive status, error information, and otheraction information sent by either the drive or the attached hostcomputer 12. MOST 10 has few external switches and displays. Alloperator indicators and controls are performed through software andappear on the CRT/keyboard of the dual consoles 24 and 26.

The operator interface is emulated by the SBC 40 and controlled by theoperator consoles 24 and 26 through RS232 ports 25 and 27, respectively,connected to the SBC I/O board 54. The I/O board 54 include RS232interfaces and buffer circuits for communication with the modem 56 overcable 60, consoles 24 and 26 over lines 25 and 27, and printer 28 overlines 29. The SBC 40 communicates with the I/O board 54 over cable 58.The remote console 26 and modem 56 are mutually exclusive features, thatis, if the remote console is required, the modem is disabled and viceversa. This is because the same serial RS232 interface of the I/O board54 is utilized.

Software defined operator interfaces also allow various other functionsto be placed in the hands of the user. For example, the user cautionsprinted in the IBM operator's manuals, are built into the MOSTinterface. Cautions are displayed if an operator attempts a controlsequence which could result in the loss of data.

The operator interface is through the consoles 24 and 26 which are videoterminals including a screen and keyboard. The keyboards are equippedwith sixteen special function keys across the upper part of the keyboardand are labeled for operator convenience. These keys are usedextensively to control MOST and minimize the number of keystrokesrequired for a given operation. The operator interface makes use ofthese function keys to implement a one button push control philosophywhere possible. The consoles 24 and 26 provides for reverse video usedto highlight active areas of the screen and to indicate that a switch isset in a particular way. The layout and operation of the simulated IBMA22 and B22 control panels is virtually identical to the correspondingIBM unit's operation in order to minimize operator training.

Special function keys F1, F2, and F3 simulate the action of switches onan IBM 3480 A22 control unit operator setup panel. Special function keysF6, F7, and F8 simulate the action of switches on an IBM 3480-B22 driveoperator panel. Special function keys F12, F13, F14, and F15 areprovided for operator actions specifically related to the control of thevirtual tapes. Special function keys F4, F5, F9, F10, F11, and F16 arereserved.

Simulated Panels

A simulated IBM 3480 control unit operator setup panel is displayed inthe top left-hand corner of the video screen of the console 24 or 26.Each channel address has a simulated IBM 3480 B22 drive operator paneldisplayed in the lower portion of the video screen of the console 24 or26. A MOST special function panel indicating date and time is displayedin the upper right-hand corner of the video screen. The special functionpanel is used to display menus, prompts, and warning messages for theoperator.

The screen is divided into four functional areas, the control unitoperator setup panel, special function panel, drive operator panel andmessage panel. Control Unit Operator Setup Panel area is equivalent tothe panel of the same name on the IBM A22 unit. Several switches whichdo not have an equivalent function have been omitted. The SpecialFunction Panel area is used for special functions which do not have alogical equivalent in the IBM drive. Drive Operator Panel area has fourpanels equivalent to the like named panels on the IBM B22 drives. Allsixteen Drive Operator Panels are displayed in groups of four. MessagePanel area is used to communicate warnings or messages to the operatorto assist in the use of MOST. The switches are emulated by specialfunction keys on the keyboard of the console 24.

During operation, the operator is primarily concerned with the fourdrive operator panel displays each of which represents four tape drivesof the 3480. When operating a 3480, the operator is prompted by theoperator display. The mount messages are displayed along with statusinformation such as READY or REWINDING. These same displays are providedby MOST 10. In addition, MOST 10 has the added element of actual opticaldisk drives. The operator is kept apprised of the status of these driveswith a display showing status, e.g. EMPTY, SPIN UP, etc., or theidentification of the loaded disk 20.

Each channel address of the control unit is provided with a driveoperator panel displayed in the lower portion of the screen. These driveoperator panels provide switches, indicators, and a message display thatcan be used to rewind a tape, unload a tape, place the drive in a readyor not-ready condition, view messages that state drive conditions oractions required, and set the manual or system mode. Each drive operatorpanel is identified in its upper right-hand corner by a singlehexadecimal digit. The panel and its associated drive are selected bythe operator by depressing a hexadecimal (0-9, A-F) key on the keyboard.Once a panel is selected, the operator's use of the function keys willaffect only that panel. The selected hexadecimal identification digit isshown in reverse video. The address label on the third line of the driveoperator panel shows the two-digit hexadecimal channel address that thecontrolling computer uses to communicate with the panel. The addresslabel only changes when the channel address in the control unit operatorsetup panel is changed.

MOST will accommodate a total of up to sixteen optical drives 16. The3480 drive operator panels are displayed in groups of four. The defaultdisplay is for panels number zero through three. Selecting a hexadecimalpanel number larger than three will cause the screen to display theappropriate group of four panels. A panel cannot be selected for a drivethat does not exist.

The attention indicator consists of two vertical bars on the second lineof the drive operator panel. The attention bars are visible when actionmust be taken to permit operations to continue on the drive. The actionmessage, such as mounting a virtual tape, will be displayed in the areaimmediately to the right of the vertical bars. If the attention bars areoff, action need not be taken even though a message is displayed. Forexample, if an EOT message is displayed, the attention bars will be offindicating that the message is for information only. The attention barsare displayed by commands from the host computer 12.

The message display at the right of the attention indicator showsmessages indicating drive condition. Three types of messages that can bedisplayed are drive condition, check code and host computer. The messagedisplay has eight character positions. The eighth position sometimesmodifies the specified operator action or gives additional information.For example, an "F" is displayed when the virtual tape is fileprotected. Display messages can extend across all eight characterpositions, e.g. COMPLETE. In addition, two-part messages can bealternately displayed. For example, the two-part message Dxxxxxx andMxxxxxx is displayed as Dxxxxxx, then Mxxxxxx, then Dxxxxxx, thenMxxxxxx.

A drive condition message appears on the message display to the right ofthe vertical bars when the drive condition changes. There are severaldrive condition messages. NT RDY F means the drive is not ready and afile-protected virtual tape is in the drive. NT RDY U means the drive isnot ready and an unprotected virtual tape is in the drive. READY F meansthe drive is ready and a file-protected virtual tape is in the drive.READY U means the drive is ready and an unprotected virtual tape is inthe drive. "*" means that no virtual tape is inserted.

A message from the host computer 12 appears in the area immediately tothe right of the vertical bars in response to a Load Display command.The content of a message is based on system requirements.

The selected indicator is a pair of asterisks, located at the far righton the second line of the drive operator panel. The selected indicatorasterisks are only visible when the control unit is transferring data toor from the drive.

To the right of the address label is the drive allocation label. Thislabel specifies the drive which is currently allocated to the channeladdress associated with the drive operator panel. The first character ofthe drive allocation label is either a "J" or a "P" indicating jukeboxor pedestal. The second character specifies which jukebox or pedestalwith values ranging from zero to four. The second half of the fieldspecifies which drive within either the jukebox or pedestal, isallocated to the drive operator's panel. The values range from D0 to D3.For example, the drive allocation label J0:D1 indicates that drive oneis allocated to jukebox zero. The drive allocation label can be changedby either the operator's use of the up and down arrow keys orautomatically by the subsystem when the panel is in system mode.

In 3480 emulation, all of the applicable switches and displays of a 3480are sent to the screen and keyboard of both consoles 24 and 26. On a3480, a user can change device addresses, bring the device ONLINE orOFFLINE, or make a drive READY or NOT READY. Once a drive is NOT READY,the user can perform manual REWINDs and REWIND/UNLOADs. All of theseactions are emulated by MOST 10. Where the 3480 has switches, certainkeys on the keyboard are used. Also, messages that would normally bedisplayed on the message display of the 3480 B22 are instead displayedon the screen of the MOST terminals. Manual "rewinding" and "unloading"are accomplished through the function keys. Similarly, the controller'schannel address is selectable by the function keys.

Pressing a function key causes the SBC 40 to prompt the user forinformation regarding the virtual tape to be created. This informationincludes a unique virtual tape name, a maximum length for the virtualtape, whether it is to be labeled prior to being mounted the first time,and other pertinent data. The disk directory which is also referred toas a tape database, is consulted prior to creating a virtual tape inorder to ensure that no other virtual tape with the same name alreadyexists. If none exists the new virtual tape will be added to the diskdirectory along with the name of the optical disk 20 on which thevirtual tape resides. Once a virtual tape is created it must be mountedbefore it can be used. Mounting a virtual tape is accomplished through aparticular function key sequence. The user is prompted for the name of avirtual tape. Once the name is received, the SBC 40 loads the properoptical disk and mounts the virtual tape. The mainframe 12 isinterrupted with unit status indicating a NOT READY to READY transitionjust as is the case with an IBM 3480.

In the manual mode, a virtual tape is mounted from a loaded optical diskthrough the keyboard. The user calls for the specific virtual tape byname and the software finds it and mounts it. Each time that themainframe 12 wants a 3480 to mount a particular tape, the software sendsout a message to be displayed on the message display of the B22. Thismessage specifies the actual tape to be loaded. It is up to an operatorto load the disk with the virtual tape on it and then manually mount thevirtual tape.

In the system mode, MOST 10 automatically interprets mount messages, andthen references the hard disk containing the disk directory whichinforms the SBC which slot in the library contains the disk that holdsthe requested virtual tape. The SBC 40 then issues commands to thejukebox 18 which cause the correct disk to be loaded and the virtualtape to be mounted automatically without manual intervention. Once thedesired optical disk is loaded and the virtual tape is mounted, themainframe 12 is notified that the drive is ready. After the virtual tapeis mounted, the mainframe can read and write to the virtual tape just asit would to a normal 3480 tape in a drive.

Normal or Test Operations

NORMAL/TEST function key F1 controls the 3480 control unit operation andis a toggle switch whose position is displayed in reverse video on thescreen. When in the NORMAL position, the 3480 control unit is set fornormal operation. When in the TEST position, the control unit is set fortesting. The tests are a maintenance aid. For normal operation, theswitch should be in the NORMAL position. Do not depress the function keyF1 during normal operations. If this key is pressed accidentally whilethe 3480 control unit is operating, a warning message will be displayedon the special function panel indicating that the 3480 control unit mustbe offline and that all drives must be empty to enter TEST mode. Testsavailable for operator selection are SBC Tests, VMEGate tests, Activatemodem, Deactivate Modem, Set real time clock, Format hard disk,Initialize disk directory, Control Unit emulation to 3480, Optical drivetests, and F1 to return to NORMAL.

Online or Offline Operations

The CUONLINE/CUOFFLINE function key F2 switch determines whether the3480 control unit can communicate with the host computer 12. TheCUONLINE/CUOFFLINE function key F2 is a toggle switch whose position isdisplayed in reverse video on the screen. When in the online position,the 3480 control unit can communicate with the host computer 12. When inthe offline position, the control unit cannot communicate with the hostcomputer 12.

When moving the CUONLINE/CUOFFLINE switch to the CUOFFLINE positionduring normal operations, the control unit completes processing of allthe work and returns status to the host computer 12. This process cantake up to thirty seconds before the control unit goes offline. Amessage, GOING OFFLINE, FINISHING WORK IN PROCESS, is displayed on thespecial function panel. A pair of asterisks appear below CUOFFLINE toshow when the control unit is offline. Do not depress function key F2during normal operations. If this key is pressed accidentally while thecontrol unit is operating, a warning message will be displayed in thespecial function panel. For normal operation, the switch should be inthe CUONLINE position.

The two CUOFFLINE asterisks located directly below the word CUOFFLINE onthe display screen are visible when the CUONLINE/CUOFFLINE switch is setto CUOFFLINE, all processing has completed, and subsystem status hasbeen sent to the host computer 12. When the CUOFFLINE asterisks arevisible, power may be removed as a normal operation. When data is beingtransferred on the channel between MOST 10 and the host computer 12, theCUOFFLINE asterisks are not visible and the control unit is online.There can be a delay of up to thirty seconds between when theCUONLINE/CUOFFLINE switch is placed in the CUOFFLINE position and whenthe CUOFFLINE asterisks appear. Do not switch the power off until theCUOFFLINE asterisks are visible on the screen.

Changing Control Unit Channel Address

The Channel Address function key F3 is used to set the control unit baseaddress. The control unit responds to sixteen sequential addressesstarting at the base address. Pressing function key F3 causes thefollowing channel address prompt to appear in the special functionpanel: ENTER HEX NUMBER FOR ONE NIBBLE OF CHANNEL ADDRESS. PRESS ENTERTO MAKE PERMANENT, ESC KEY TO ABORT. CHANNEL ADDRESS=80.

To change the most significant digit of the channel address, theoperator presses a hexadecimal number (0-9, A-F) on the keyboard andthen presses the ENTER key. The least significant digit of the channeladdress is fixed as a zero and cannot be changed by the operator. Thechannel address was set when the subsystem was installed and normally isnot changed. A channel address label located directly below the wordaddress on the display screen shows the base address number set by theswitch. This label is determined during installation and, normally, isnot changed.

The WAIT asterisks appear in the lower portion of the control unitoperator setup panel. The WAIT asterisks blink while the control unit isoperating. When the control unit is waiting for work, the asterisks areconstantly on.

Rewinding a Virtual Tape

The REWIND function key F6 rewinds the virtual tape to thebeginning-of-tape (BOT). The REWIND function key works only when theREADY/NOT READY switch is in the NOT READY position. If the F6 functionkey is pressed while the drive is READY, there is no effect, and awarning message, TAPE DRIVE MUST BE NOT READY TO EXECUTE REQUESTEDFUNCTION!, will be displayed on the special function panel.

Unloading a Virtual Tape

The UNLOAD function key F7 rewinds and unloads the virtual tape. TheUNLOAD switch works only when the READY/NOT READY switch is in the NOTREADY position. The UNLOAD function key also resets the drive and anymessages that may be on the message display. If the function key ispressed while the drive is READY, there is no effect, and a warningmessage, TAPE DRIVE MUST BE NOT READY TO EXECUTE REQUESTED FUNCTION!,will be displayed on the special function panel.

Placing a Drive in READY position

The READY/NOT READY function key F8 places the drive in a READY or NOTREADY condition. READY/NOT READY is a toggle switch whose position isdisplayed in reverse video on the D11 screen. When in the READYposition, the drive is prepared to read data from or write data onto avirtual tape. When the switch is in the NOT READY position, the drivecannot read or write data. This switch must be in the NOT READY positionfor the REWIND switch or the UNLOAD switch to operate properly. Theoperator should not press this function key during normal operations. Ifthis function key is pressed while the drive is operating, a warningmessage will be displayed on the special function panel.

The volume/serial number of a mounted virtual tape is displayed on theseventh line of the drive operator panel. If no virtual tape iscurrently mounted, the tape status will be displayed. Tape status willbe either EMPTY, indicating that no virtual tape is mounted, or MNTNG,indicating that the jukebox is retrieving a disk prior to mounting atape. The volume/serial number message is changed by the F13 functionkey for mounting a new virtual tape, by the F7 function key forrewinding and unloading a previously mounted virtual tape, by aREWIND/UNLOAD command from the controlling computer, or by a mountmessage from the controlling computer when the subsystem is in systemmode.

The disk status message on the next to last line of the drive operatorpanel provides information relative to the optical disk drive itself.The message UNLOCKED means the drive is ready for the insertion orremoval of an optical disk. The message SPINUP means an optical disk isbeing spun up to the correct rotational speed for reading and writing.The message SPINDOWN means an optical disk is being spun down so that itmay be removed from the drive. The message xxxxxxxy means the diskidentification number and side with the last character being either "A"or "B" indicating which side is loaded.

The disk status message is changed when a disk is loaded or ejected bypressing the F14 function key, or when a disk is automatically loaded orejected in response to a mount message from the controlling computerwhen the subsystem is in the System mode.

The drive operating mode on the last line of the drive operator panel isselected by entering S or M on the keyboard to select, respectively, SYSmeaning the drive operates in system mode, interpreting and acting onmount/demount messages from the controlling computer automatically, or,MANUAL meaning the drive operates in manual mode with the operatorperforms all virtual tape mounts and dismounts. The selected mode isdisplayed in reverse video.

Creating, Deleting, and Editing Virtual Tapes

The special function key F12 on the keyboard allows the operator tocreate, delete, and edit virtual tapes, either individually or inblocks, on a selected drive. A special function menu will appear withoptions C, D, E and B for create, delete, edit, and block editrespectively. An optical disk must be loaded into the selected drivebefore the F12 key is used. To exit from the F12 function, the operatorpresses ESC. When the F12 key is pressed, all virtual tapes on theselected side of the currently loaded disk will be displayed in thespecial function panel, along with a function menu. The up and downarrow keys scroll through the directory of tapes. The panel will alsoindicate the number of free megabytes on the current side, A or B, ofthe loaded disk.

To create a tape, the operator presses the "C" key after the menuappears in the special function panel. The operator will be prompted toenter, one at a time, the following parameters: Volume/Serial Number;Header Type (Virgin, Tape Mark, Header); Length (two-hundred megabyte,unlimited, user-defined); and Pool Type (Scratch, Private). Eachparameter is entered at the keyboard. The Volume/Serial Number parameteris alphanumeric with a maximum length of six characters. If a virtualtape with the same VSN already exists in the tape database, a warningmessage, CAN'T CREATE, TAPE ALREADY EXISTS!, will be displayed in thespecial function panel. The names SCRTCH and PRIVAT are illegal asvolume/serial numbers. Pressing "T" for toggle moves the highlight fromfield to field and pressing ENTER selects the desired field. The optionsare Virgin, Tape Mark, or Header (which is the default). The Headeroption is an ANSI standard VOL1 header containing the tape volume serialnumber. Pressing "T" for toggle moves the highlight from field to fieldand pressing ENTER selects the desired field. The options aretwo-hundred mega bytes, the default, User-Defined which may be one toone-hundred-and-ninty-nine mega bytes, or Unlimited. The operatorspecifies the maximum amount of data that will fit on the virtual tape.When this amount of data has been written to the tape, the control unitwill indicate the Logical End of Tape and then the Physical End of Tapeto the host computer 12. In this way, virtual tapes can be copied to3480 cartridge tapes or 3420 reel tapes without exceeding the capacityof either media. Pressing "T" for toggle selects either SCRTCH which isthe default, or PRIVAT and pressing ENTER selects the pool type. Afterentering the last parameter, the operator will be prompted to confirmthe create by pressing ENTER, or to abort the operation by pressing ESC.Upon confirmation, the parameters are automatically entered into thedisk directory.

To delete a tape, the operator press the "D" key after the menu appearsin the special function panel. At the prompt, ARE YOU SURE?, theoperator specifies the VSN and verifies the deletion request by pressingENTER. Upon verification, the specified VSN is deleted from the disk andthe disk directory.

To edit a tape, the operator presses the "E" key after the menu appearsin the special function panel. After specifying a VSN, File Protect,Volume/Serial Number, Length Increases, and Pool Type virtual tapeparameters in the menu can then be changed. The File Protect parameterindicates that the tape cannot be changed (i.e., read only). Afterpressing ENTER, the new parameters are entered automatically into thedisk directory and written to the disk.

The operator uses the block edit to create, delete, or edit blocks ofvirtual tape. After the menu appears in the special function panel, theoperator presses the "B" key. At the prompt, the operator enters astarting VSN and a block count. The VSN will be incremented in decimalsfrom the starting VSN. The VSN name should terminate in a number, e.g.,DWD001. The maximum block count is nine-hundred-and-ninty-nine. Awarning message will prompt the operator if out-of-range conditions aredetected. After selecting block mode, the operator may then create,delete, or edit a block of tapes by pressing the C, D, or E key. Uponcompletion of the block mode operations of Create, Delete, or Edit, thedisk directory is automatically changed to reflect those operations.

Mounting a Virtual Tape

To mount a virtual tape, the operator presses the F13 key. A list ofvirtual tapes contained on the selected side of the loaded disk willappear in the special function panel. The up and down arrow keys scrollup or down the list. Pressing the plus and minus keys are used to seeother disks. The operator selects a VSN from the list by typing the VSNname, followed by pressing ENTER. The specified virtual tape will beautomatically mounted and the VSN displayed in the drive operator panel.If the host computer has sent a mount message specifying a VSN, theoperator may press F13 and the ENTER key without typing in the VSN name.The virtual tape named in the mount message will be mounted. The ESC keymay be pressed at any time to exit from the F13 function.

Dynamic drive allocation eliminates the need for physically exchangingdisks when a virtual tape is requested and is contained on a diskresiding in a drive that is allocated to a different channel address.The drive and disk actually containing the specified virtual tape can bereallocated to the requesting channel address in any of three ways.Reallocation can occur by the operator using the up and down arrow keys.Automatic reallocation can occur by the control unit in response to ahost computer tape mount message. Automatic reallocation can occur bythe subsystem in response to operator requests for virtual tape mountsusing F13 or disk loads using F14.

Channel addresses are assigned to the operator drive panels during theinitialization of the controller 14 and remain fixed. Dynamic allocationis a logical procedure which reallocates the installed drives to channeladdresses as necessary for rapid and efficient subsystem operation. Fora selected drive operator panel having an assigned channel address, theoperator may press either an up or down arrow key to cause the currentlyallocated drive to be reallocated. Dynamic drive allocation in responseto the controlling computer will be executed automatically, if the driveallocated to the requesting channel address is available and the driveoperator panel is in system mode. A drive is considered not availablefor dynamic drive allocation if a virtual tape is already mounted or ifthe operator is performing an operation such as mounting or creating avirtual tape. A drive is not available for reallocation if the driveoperator panel to which it is allocated is in manual mode.

Loading and Ejecting a Disk

To Eject, Load, Relabel, or Flip a Disk, the operator press the F14function Key. A menu will appear: DISK OPERATIONS: Eject Disk; LoadDisk; Relabel Disk; Flip Disk; and ESC to EXIT. The menu will not appearif any virtual tapes are mounted.

To eject a loaded disk, the operator presses the "E" key. In jukeboxconfigurations, the disk is ejected automatically and returned to itsstorage slot. The disk status message in the drive operator panelchanges from the name of the disk to UNLOCKED. The disk status messageindicates SPIN-DOWN while the disk is spinning down. If a disk is notloaded when the "E" key is pressed, a warning message, DISK MUST BELOADED IN DRIVE TO EXECUTE REQUESTED FUNCTION, appears in the specialfunction panel. In pedestal configurations, the drive door is unlockedso that the operator can manually remove or flip the disk.

To load a disk into the selected drive, the operator press the "L" key.At the prompt, the operator enters a disk name and presses ENTER. Theoperator then presses either "A" or "B", depending on which side of thedisk is desired. The disk is loaded automatically and the disk statusmessage changes from UNLOCKED to the disk name and side, A or B. Thedisk status message indicates SPIN-UP, while the disk is spinning up. Ifthe disk name does not exist in the disk directory, a warning message,DISK NOT IN DATA BASE, will be displayed. If a blank disk is loaded, theoperator will be prompted to enter a name for the disk. Disk namescannot exceed nine alphanumeric characters. In pedestal configurations,the operator will be instructed to insert a disk, close the door, andpress ENTER.

To relabel a loaded disk, the operator presses the "R" key. At theprompt, the operator enters the new disk name. Disk names cannot exceednine characters. Press ENTER and the new disk name is automaticallywritten to both sides of the loaded disk and in the disk directory. Adisk may be relabeled up to twenty times. In pedestal configurations,the operator must manually flip the disk so that both sides can berelabeled.

To flip a disk, the operator presses the "F" key. If there is a disk inthe jukebox drive, the disk will be spun down, flipped over, and spunback up automatically. A warning message is displayed if there is nodisk in the drive. In pedestal configurations, the disk must be ejected,flipped over, and reloaded manually. The ESC key may be pressed at anytime to exit from the F14 functions.

Accessing the Disk Directory

To access the disk directory which is a virtual tape database, theoperator presses the F15 function key. The F15 key operates differentlydepending on if the configuration includes a jukebox. Pressing the F15key when a jukebox is included will cause the jukebox operation menu tobe displayed. After pressing F15, the menu: Jukebox operations; 1)Import Disk; 2) Export or Delete Disk; 3) Data Base Menu; and ESC TOEXIT, is displayed.

To import a disk, the operator presses the "1" key. The disk drive mustfirst be unloaded. The jukebox mailbox is extended and the operator willbe instructed to place a disk in the mailbox. The operator inserts thedisk with the "A" side up. If the disk is blank, the operator will beprompted for a name, which must not exceed nine characters. The diskname and tapes will be added automatically to the disk directory.

To export or delete a disk, the operator presses the "2" key. A list ofdisks is displayed. At the prompt, the operator enters the disk name,and the disk will be carried to the mailbox. The operator then removesthe disk from the mailbox. The disk directory will be updated toindicate that the disk is now in a remote location.

To select the database menu, the operator presses the "3" key. Afterpressing the "3" key, the menu: Date Base Menu; 1) Individual TapeInformation; 2) List of Tapes on a disk; 3) List of disks in the DataBase; 4) List of Disks in the Jukebox; and ESC to Exit, is displayed. Toobtain Individual Tape Information, the operator presses the "1" key. Alist of virtual tapes will appear. The up and down arrows or the plusand minus keys scroll the list. At the prompt, the operator enters theVSN and presses ENTER. The V/S name, disk side, pool type, disklocation, and disk ID will be displayed. The operator presses the "2"key to list of tapes on a disk. A list of disks will appear. The up anddown arrows or the plus and minus keys scroll the list. At the prompt,the operator enters a disk name and presses ENTER. The operator thenenters the desired disk side, A or B. A list of all tapes on thespecified side of the requested disk will be displayed. The operatorpresses the "3" key to list of disks in the disk directory. A list ofall disks in the disk directory will be displayed by location, jukeboxor remote, on the special function panel. The up and down arrows or theplus and minus keys scroll the list. The operator presses the "4" key tolist the disks in a jukebox or on the remote shelf. At the prompt, theoperator specify a jukebox number, or "R" to list the disks. A list ofall the disks in the specified location will be displayed on the specialfunction panel. The up and down arrows or the plus and minus keys scrollthe list. The ESC key may be pressed at any time to exit from the F15function.

If no jukebox is present in the configuration, pressing the F15 key willcause a menu of disk directory (database) operations to appear. Afterpressing the F15 key, the menu: Data base Operations; 1) Add Disk toData Base; 2) Delete Disk From Data Base; 3) Data Base Menu, isdisplayed.

To add a disk to the .disk directory, the operator presses the "1" key.A prompt will instruct the operator to insert a disk in the selecteddrive and to close the drive door and press ENTER. The disk and itsvirtual tapes will be added automatically to the disk directory. Theoperator must flip the disk in order to add both sides of the disk tothe disk directory.

To delete a disk from the disk directory, the operator presses the "2"key. The list of disks on the disk directory will appear on the specialfunction panel. The plus and minus keys or the up and down arrow keysscroll through the list. At the prompt, the operator enters the name ofthe disk to be deleted and presses ENTER, and the disk is eliminatedfrom the database.

To obtain the database menu, the operator presses the "3" key. Afterpressing the "3" key, the menu: 1) Individual Tape Information; 2) Listof Tapes on a Disk; and 3) List of Disks in Database, is displayed. Forindividual tape information, the operator presses the "1" key. The upand down arrows or the plus and minus keys scroll the a list of tapes.At the prompt, the operator enters the volume/serial number and pressesENTER. The V/S disk name, disk side, and disk location will bedisplayed, For a list of tapes on a disk, the operator presses the "2"key. At the prompt, the operator enters a disk name from the directoryof disks which will be displayed. The up and down arrows or the plus andminus keys scroll the list of disks. The operator presses ENTER and alist of all tapes on the specified disk will be displayed. For a list ofdisks in disk directory, the operator presses the "3" key. A list of alldisks in the disk directory will be displayed by location, jukebox orremote, on the special function panel. The up and down arrows or theplus and minus keys scroll the directory. The ESC key may be pressed atany time to exit from the F15 function.

Inserting and Removing Disks

To insert a disk in the jukebox configuration, the mailbox must be emptyand the operator presses function key F15. After pressing the F15 key, amenu will appear. The operator selects choice 1, IMPORT DISK, and slidesthe disk into the mailbox. To insert a disk in the pedestalconfiguration, the drive must be empty. The operator slides the diskinto the door with the desired side up, A or B. The operator then closesthe drive door and presses function key F14 to load the disk, spin itup, and lock the drive door.

To remove a disk from the jukebox configuration, the operator places theREADY/NOT READY switch in the NOT READY position using function key F8.Then, the operator presses the UNLOAD key using function key F7. Themessage display on the screen will show the drive condition whilerewind-and-unload is in progress. The display will show an asterisk whenthe operation is completed. The volume/serial number message will readEMPTY. The operator then presses function key F15 and then presses "2"to export the disk. At the prompt, the operator enters the name of thedisk to be removed and then presses ENTER. The disk will be exported tothe jukebox mailbox. Next, the operator removes the disk by pulling itstraight out when the disk stops in the mailbox door.

To remove a disk from the pedestal configuration, the operator placesthe READY/NOT READY switch in the NOT READY position using function keyF8, and then presses the UNLOAD key using function key F7. The messagedisplay on the screen will show the drive condition whilerewind-and-unload is in progress. The display will show an asterisk whenthe operation is completed. The volume/serial number message will readEMPTY. Then, the operator presses function key F14 and then press "E" toeject. When the disk status shows UNLOCKED, the drive door may be openedby applying pressure to its edge. The disk is removed by pulling itstraight out. A disk cannot be removed from a B21 drive when a virtualtape from that disk is mounted. During normal operation, the hostcomputer 12 automatically rewinds and unloads a virtual tape when a jobcompletes.

Write-Protecting a Disk

Each side of a disk, A or B, has a write-protect selector that can beset to one of two positions, WRITE or WRITE-PROTECTED. The operatorsmoves the selector to the correct position. To WRITE-PROTECT a disk, theoperator moves the arrow in the white movable section of the disk topoint to the words WRITE PROTECTED on the disk case. To WRITE on a disk,the operator moves the arrow to point to the word WRITE on the diskcase.

Loading the Microprogram

To load the microprogram, the floppy microprogram diskette is insertedin the floppy drive 52 of the controller 14 before power is turned on.The diskette remains in the drive 52 at all times. The controller 14automatically starts the procedure for loading the microprogram, calledInitial Microprogram Load (IML), when power is turned on. When the IMLstarts, the video display will show the upper portion of the standarddisplay followed by messages showing the progress of the IML. If the IMLcompletes successfully, the complete display will appear. If the IMLdoes not complete successfully, an error will be indicated in theprogress messages.

Removing or Restoring Power

To remove power in an emergency, the operator uses an Emergency Powerswitch during normal operations. In emergency situations, move theemergency power switch to the Power Off position. The emergency powerswitch is located on the side of the jukebox or on the front panel ofMOST pedestal configurations. To restore power, the operator places theemergency power switch in the Power Enable position. The IML procedurewill then start automatically if the floppy diskette is in the floppydrive 52.

To turn power off during normal operation, the F2 function key is usedto place the control unit offline. Pressing function key F2 places theCUONLINE/CUOFFLINE switch in the CUOFFLINE position. The operator shouldwait for the CUOFFLINE asterisks to appear. Normally, the CUOFFLINEasterisks appear within a few seconds. However, if a job is running thatconsists of many chained read or write commands, the CUOFFLINE asterisksmight not come on for a half minute to several minutes. The function keyF8 is used to set the READY/NOT READY switch to the NOT READY positionfor each drive. The operator then rewinds and unloads all mountedvirtual tapes by pressing the UNLOAD function key F7 on the driveoperator panel of each drive. The operator then ejects all loaded disksby pressing the F14 function key, and then pressing "E" for each channeladdress. Finally, the operator places the Power OFF/ON switch in the OFFposition.

To restore power during normal operation, the operator places the PowerOFF/ON switch in the ON position. If the IML floppy diskette is in thefloppy drive 52, the IML procedure starts automatically. The operatorpresses function key F2 to place the CUONLINE/CUOFFLINE switch in theCUONLINE position, using the control unit operator setup panel on thevideo screen.

VMEGate Description

The VMEGate 36 is an off the shelf IBM channel attachment product forboth control unit emulators and channel emulators at three orfour-point-five mega bytes per second Data Streaming and interlockingcapabilities. The VMEGate 36 is supplied by DataWare Development Inc. ofSan Diego Calif., with microcode which accomplishes specific deviceemulation. VMEGate 36 is compatible with the FIPS 60-2 I/O Channel andthe VME standard. The VMEGate 36 supports I/O protocols that can beprogrammed to conform to a Selector, Byte Multiplexer, or BlockMultiplexer type IBM FIPS 60-2 I/O Channel Interface with data transferrates being programmable from five-hundred-sixty kilo bytes per secondto three or four-point-five mega bytes per second.

VMEGate 36 features: Type two control unit emulation with up totwo-hundred-and-fifty-six addressable devices providing multiplexed I/O;I/O channel interface operation in burst mode; I/O channel interfaceinitial selection sequences, command sequences, data transfer sequences,and ending sequences; validates commands; assembles status and senseinformation; transfer data up to three mega bytes per second orfour-point-five mega bytes per second in data streaming mode; VME businterfacing; VME bus requests; Release-when-done for releasing the VMEbus; sixteen mega byte direct addressing range which allows access tothe VME bus memory space; Up to two-thousand-and-forty-eight byforty-eight VME bus memory-mapped Writable Control Store (WCS) 80 formicroprogram storage, memory and registers positioning, via jumpers,anywhere within the sixteen mega byte addressing range; statusregisters, command registers, and data-in registers for softwareinterfacing; Board LED status indicators including VMEGate active,VMEGate online, Channel active, and VMEGate data check; and a sixteenbit slice microprocessor ALU 116 operating at six mega instructions persecond with a microprogrammed sequencer 86.

The VMEGate 36 and the SBC 40 together with their software can emulate atype two control unit, meaning that more than one channel address can behandled concurrently. I/O operations are initiated and controlled byinformation passed from the SBC 40 to storage areas on the VME bus 46,and to the VMEGate 36. Data for transfers to and from the host mainframe12 through the I/O channel 34 are either loaded into or extracted fromstorage areas as specified by the SBC software. Status information ispassed back from the VMEGate 36 to the SBC 40 through specific storageareas of the VME bus 46. For high'speed I/O Channel transfers, the cachememory 38 is connected to the VME bus for block transfers. The cachememory 38 is used because typical memory in the SBC 40 is small in sizeand slow in speed. The memory of the SBC 40 does will not support blocktransfers on the VME bus. The cache memory 38 enables block transfersand allows the SBC 40 to remain active for processing channel status andcommands while the VMEGate 36 performs data transfers using the cachememory 38.

VMEGate microcode depicted in FIG. 5 and SBC software depicted in FIGS.7 through 13 enable the emulation. The VMEGate 36 is a single assemblyconsisting of two printed circuit cards based on standard VME formfactor. The two cards are connected together with standoffs and a commonfaceplate. This assembly occupies two slot positions when installed in aVME card cage. The VMEGate 36 has a processor board and an InterfaceBoard. The processor board contains both the WCS 80 and commandvalidator memory 126 which must contain the proper data before theVMEGate 36 can be operational. The processor board contains the WCS 80,the sequencer 85, the sixteen bit slice ALU 116, and a number ofregisters. The I/O channel 34 connects through the CIB 64 to theinterface board which contains various buffers as well as the Bus-Inregister 156 and the Tag-In register 154. The Interface Board containsthe necessary circuitry to interface to both the VME bus 46 and the I/Ochannel 34. Also contained on the interface board are the jumpers toselect VMEGate base address, interrupt level, bus arbitration level, andbyte offset jumper, all which must be properly set before the VMEGate 36can be made operational. The byte offset jumper is used for factory testpurposes. The interface board accommodates Control Unit Interlocked,Control Unit Data Streaming, Channel Interlocked, Channel DataStreaming, and Custom User Requirements.

The single board computer (SBC) 40 has dual ported memory. I/Ooperations are initiated and controlled by information passed from theSBC to storage areas on the VME bus, and to the VMEGate registers. Datafor transfer to and from the host mainframe 12 is either loaded into orextracted from storage areas as specified by the SBC software. Statusinformation is passed back from the VMEGate 36 to the SBC throughspecific VME bus storage areas.

Statuses are maintained by the VMEGate 36 but are generated by both theVMEGate 36 and the SBC 40. The SBC 40 generates status based on the CCWsreceived by the VMEGate 36 and from the state of the SCSI devices.Statuses presented by the SBC 40 are presented to the channel 34immediately or held until other operations complete depending on thestatuses and the circumstances on the channel.

Sense data is generated for errors and whenever a sense command isissued by the channel. Once sense data is created it remains valid untilthe next command is accepted. 3480 ERPA (Error Recovery ProcedureAction) check codes are presented where appropriate to inform themainframe of the type of error although in general the Recovery Actionswould have no effect. Examples of valid ERPA codes would be "CommandReject", "Backwards Motion at Beginning of Tape", "Write Protected",etc.

An Interface Sequence is a fixed pattern of raising and lowering ofhandshake tags lines in order to carry out a channel transaction. TheVMEGate 36 supports the IBM FIPS 60-2 Interface Sequences. The VME busInterface of the VMEGate 36 includes registers 130, 138, 140, 142, 146and 148 to perfect the master, slave and interrupt function for the VMEbus 46. The VME Eurocard specifications is preferred and includes: datatransfer at A24 D16 TOUT equals none, no arbiter, requester is levelthree, no interrupt handler, and interrupts at level four or level six.

Architecture

The VMEGate 36 is a microprogrammed state machine providing a pathwaybetween the VME bus and the I/O channel 34. The main components of theVMEGate 36 are the bit-slice microprocessor including four 2901 16 bitslice ALU 116 and microprogrammed sequencer 86. Supporting circuitryincludes various high-speed MSI and LSI devices. The processor board hassixteen bit wide data paths. The ALU microprocessor 116 includesregisters and executes a versatile set of arithmetic and logicalinstructions. The 2910 sequencer 86 controls the execution sequence ofthe microprogram. The sequencer 86 has an internal program counter, loopcounter and stack and is capable of selecting the next micro instructionaddress from various sources. With its various support circuits, thesequencer 86 implements conditional branching, looping, vectoring andinterrupt controls.

The WCS 80 is a RAM for storage of the VMEGate microprogram. The desiredemulation microcode is downloaded from the SBC 40 prior to issuing astart command to the VMEGate 36. Diagnostics or self test routines mayalso be downloaded. The forty-eight bit wide word provides pipelineprocessing of I/O Channel commands. The Start-Status Register 136, whenwritten to, is used by the SBC 40 to activate the VMEGate 36 by startingits internal clock generator 78. This is done by writing a one to theLSB position, bit zero. Writing a zero to the Start/Status Register 136stops the VMEGates clock generator 78 and also allows access to the WCS80 for downloading and modifying the microprogram.

The command register 94 is a write only register and is used to passcommands and parameters to the VMEGate 36. The VMEGate commands includeoffline, self test, load command validator, and present status. Thecommand validator memory 126 is a 256 byte RAM which contains thecommands and device addresses that are valid for the particular controlunit or device being emulated by the VMEGate 36. Valid device addressesand commands are stored in the command validator memory 126. This memory126 is downloaded and verified by the SBC 40 during initialization. Thecommand register 94 is a slave mode register.

The Data-In register 92 and Data-Out register 90 are used by the VMEGate36 to read and write data to cache memory 38 or SBC memory or any othermemory on the VME bus 46. The information which is transferred may bedata or parameters, such as buffer size or buffer addresses. The Data INand Data Out registers 90 and 90 are master only type registers and arenot accessible to the VME bus 46 in slave mode. The Tag-In register 154controls the rise and fall of VMEGate sourced tag signals on the I/Ochannel 34. The tag signals are first sourced by the bit slice ALU 116during normal handshakes and sourced by the Automatic Data Transfercircuit 176 during data transfers. The Tag-Out register 180 informs theALU 116 of the current states of incoming tag signals on the I/O 34channel. The Bus-In register 156 and Bus-Out register 166 are similar tothe Tag-In and Tag-Out registers 180 and 154 except that, instead ofcontrol lines, these registers handle data for I/O transfers.

The VMEGate 36 is capable of automatic data transfers at a rate of up tothree or four-point-five mega bytes per second, The automated datatransfer circuit 176 is responsible for transferring data to and fromthe I/O channel 34 and to and from the cache memory 38. The automateddata transfer circuit 176 controls all necessary handshake signals fromboth the I/O Channel 34 and the VME bus 46. The VMEGate 36 enables threeor four-point-five mega bytes per second data streaming data rates. Inorder to accomplish this without overloading the VME bus 46, twofirst-in-first-out (FIFO) circuits 168 and 142 are controlled by theautomated data transfer circuitry 176. The FIFOs 168 and 154 act astemporary buffers for I/O channel data while VME bus arbitration is inprogress. The FIFOs 168 and 154 and the automated data transfer circuit176 maintain a constant flow of data to and from the I/O channel 34 eventhough VME bus arbitration times may vary. The transfer rate ismicroprogrammable and can be set from five-hundred-and-sixty kilo bytesper second to three or four-point-five mega bytes per second.

I/O channel operations are controlled by information passed between SBC40 and the VMEGate 36 through designated memory address areas on the VMEbus 46. The software interface between the SBC 40 and the VMEGate 36 isoperational during block transfers using the cache memory 38. The cachememory 38 allows the SBC 40 to remain in operation during VMEGatetransfers requiring bus arbitration and improves throughput because SBCmemory is often slower and therefore not used for block data transfer.The SBC memory buffers contain the status and sense information of theemulated drives. The SBC memory buffers are also used by the VMEGate 36to store incoming channel commands and data to and from the mainframe12. Each emulated device has its own string of input and output SBCmemory as its memory buffer. The SBC memory buffers can be dynamicallyallocated and sized. The location and size of the memory buffers isdefined by the SBC software.

The VMEGate 36 will interrupt the SBC 40 through a vectored interrupt,requesting SBC attention. The SBC 40 can identify the cause of aninterrupt by reading the VMEGate status buffer in the SBC memory. Onpower up, the VMEGate 36 is offline, and the clock generator is stoppedto prevent the bit-slice ALU 116 from accessing the WCS 80. The SBCloads the microprogram into the WCS 80 by writing to the VMEGate withinthe address range allocated to the WCS 80. Once the microprogram isresident in the WCS 80, the SBC 40 may perform a compare andverification to the original microprogram object code to insure that thedownload was successful.

After microprogram load verification, a START instruction is issued tothe LSB, odd byte, of the VMEGate start register 136 causing the clockgenerator 78 to start, and causing the sequencer 86 to jump tomicroprogram address zero, which is the starting location of the VMEGateinitialization routine.

The SBC 40 issues a download parameters command to the VMEGate 36 toinitialize command, status and data buffer locations in the SBC 40. TheSBC 40 reads the VMEGate status register 136 to insure correctinitialization. The VMEGate 36 is now ready to begin operation.

The SBC 40 issues an Initialize command to the VMEGate 36 followed by aVME bus address of the Initialization Buffer which contains pointers tobuffer addresses for status and data. The SBC 40 then issues a "DownloadCommand Validator Ram" command to the VMEGate 36 to download validcommands and device addresses. At this time the SBC 40 reads the VMEGatestatus buffer in the SBC 40 to insure correct initialization. If VMEGateinitialization was successful, the SBC 40 issues an Online command. TheVMEGate 36 is now ready to store any incoming commands or data from theI/O channel 34.

Installation

Before the VMEGate card assembly can be installed in a VME bus system,it is necessary to configure the VMEGate base address, the interruptlevel, and the bus arbitration level. These items are predefined. TheVMEGate VME bus Memory Map Table defines the VMEGate memory map.

    ______________________________________                                        VME bus Memory Map Table                                                      32K bytes VME address space                                                              WRITABLE                                                           ADDRESS    CONTROL STORE   REGISTERS                                          A2-A1      0      1        2     3                                                     MICROWORD BITS                                                                15-0 31-16    47-32   15-0                                           ______________________________________                                        A3                                                                                    000    [   ]  [   ]  [   ] [START/STAT]                               A14                                                                                   001    [   ]  [   ]  [   ] [ COMMAND ]                                        002    [   ]  [   ]  [   ] [ not used ]                                       003    [   ]  [   ]  [   ] [ not used ]                                       FFF    [   ]  [   ]  [   ] [ not used ]                               ______________________________________                                    

Address lines A14 through A23 and AM0 through AM5 are jumper selectableto allow placement anywhere in the sixteen mega byte range. In order toread microcode via the VME bus 46, the VMEGate 36 must be placed offlineand stopped. The VMEGate 36 is offline and stopped, after power up,allowing the SBC 40 to write and read to the VMEGate 36 without havingto issue any instruction.

The VMEGate jumpers J1 to J7 are located on the interface board and arelabeled J1-J7 and defined as follows: J1 is VMEgate base address ofE30000; J2 and J3 is the bus acknowledge level three; J4 is the busrequest level three; J5 is the interrupt request level six; J6 is notused; J7 is byte offset on pins two and three. Jumper J1 is used toselect the base address. J1 Jumpers pins correspond to address selectiontable: A23-J1 pin 1; A22-J1 pin 2; A21-J2 pin 3; A20-J2 pin 4; A19-J2pin 5; A18-J2 pin 6; A17-J2 pin 7; A16-J2 pin 8; and A15-J2 pin 9. Thejumper on a address selection pin will indicate address comparison whenthe address bit is low. Omitting a jumper will indicate true comparisonfor the corresponding address bit being active high. The jumpers are tobe installed between the pins opposing locations. The VMEGate 36 iscapable of generating VME bus interrupts on either interrupt level fouror six. Selection of I4 or I6 is done by jumper settings at J5. The byteoffset jumper J7 is preset connecting pins 2 and 3.

I/O Channel Connection

Connection from the VMEGate 36 and the I/O channel 34 is through theChannel I/O Board 62 by a connector on the VMEgate Interface Board. Thecable 66 is used to bring signals to and from the CIB 64 through theChannel I/O Board 62. The CIB 64 is mounted behind a connector panelwith the channel connectors protruding through the front of the panel.Another connector on the CIB 64 is provided for the connections throughanother twisted-pair ribbon cable to the second CIB 64 if it is used.Two molex connectors provide power to the CIB 64 with one to beconnected to the power supply 22 while the other for daisy-chaining to asecond CIB 64 if it is used.

The CIB 64 contains the receiver and driver circuitry necessary toprovide the proper electrical connection to the I/O Channel 34. The CIB64 contains an Online/Offline Switch, a Select In/Select Out Switch, aSelect Jumper and the serpentine connectors for Bus-Out, Bus-In,Tag-Out, Tag-In for the I/O channel 34. A single VMEGate 36 may drivetwo CIBs 64. However, only one CIB 64 at a time may be active. Toconfigure the CIB 64, there are two items which are user definable. Thefirst item is the board address. Since two CIBs 64 may be selected bythe VMEGate 36, under software control, the select jumper is used toselect the address of each assembly. If a jumper is connected to selectjumper pins one and two, the CIB 64 will be addressed as board "A". Ifthe select jumper is placed on pins two and three, the CIB 64 will beaddressed as board "B". The Select-In/Select-Out switch allows theVMEGate 36 to be placed on either side of the channel selectiondaisy-chain. Throwing both bars of the switch towards the near edge ofthe CIB 64 will place the VMEGate 36 on the Select-In chain. TheOnline/Offline switch is a safety switch. When switched to the downwardposition, it enables software from the VMEGate 36 to cause the CIB 64 togo online. When switched to the upwards position, the CIB 64 is offlinedisregarding commands from both the I/O channel 34 and the VMEGate 36.This switch should not be changed while the VMEGate 36 is online.

Microcode

On power up, the ALU 116 of the VMEGate 36 is automatically stopped andtaken offline to halt the internal clock generator 78 and to prevent thebit-slice ALU 116 from accessing microcode in the WCS 80. Referring toFIG. 5, upon power up, the VMEGate starts executing the microcode atlocation zero. After self testing which tests the VMEgate 36,initialization 200 is performed. As a part of this initialization,hardware registers, e.g. 138, 154, 156 and 158, are initialized alongwith internal registers of the ALU 116 which store the same values. Thescratch pad memory 120 is cleared along with other registers of the ALU116 that are used to contain control unit flags and drive flags.

After initialization, the microprogram jumps to the idle loop comprisingsteps 202, 204, 206, 208, 210 and 212. The microcode checks the idleloop 202-212 to determine if the interrupt processed command data hasbeen saved 202 in scratch pad memory 120. If so, the subroutine 214 iscalled to recall that data from scratch pad memory 120 in order to setthe appropriate flags and save the drive status.

The next test 204 determines if an SBC command has been issued. If so,the SBC command is processed 216. The next test 206 determines if theVMEgate 36 is offline. If so, the microprogram jumps to the top 202 ofthe idle loop 202 through 212, waiting for the SBC to issue commands tothe VMEgate 36.

However, if the VMEgate 36 is online at 206, further tests 208-212 aremade. Test 208 determines if the I/O channel 34 has selected the VMEgate36. If so, the I/O channel command is processed 218. Test 210 determinesif the VMEgate 36 has channel status pending. If so, the pending statusis processed 220. Test 212 determines if the I/O channel 34 has issued achannel reset. If so, the channel reset is processed 222. At thecompletion of processing steps 216 to 222, the microprogram jumps to thetop of the idle loop 202-212. The microprogram loops through the idleloop 202-212 until one of the above tests 202-212 causes it to jump outof the idle loop to process the condition.

Channel Data Line Definitions

The VMEGate 36 drives eight data lines, to the mainframe 12, named BUSIN 0-7 with BUS IN 0 being the most significant. A ninth line is used togenerate odd parity and is called BUS IN P. The term BUS IN refers toall eight bits and parity. When an INITIAL SELECTION sequence is beingperformed, the VMEGate address is placed on BUS IN at least one-hundrednano seconds prior to the raising of ADDRESS IN. This address remains onBUS IN until ADDRESS IN is dropped. During the data transfer portion ofa READ or SENSE command, the data bytes are placed on BUS IN prior tothe raising of SERVICE IN or DATA IN and remain on BUS IN until SERVICEOUT or DATA OUT is raised. During status presentation sequences, BUS INcontains control unit status information when STATUS IN is up. TheVMEGate 36 receives eight data lines, from the mainframe, named BUS OUT0-7 with BUS OUT 0 being the most significant. The VMEGate 36 is alsocapable of monitoring a ninth line, BUS OUT P that carries odd parityfor BUS OUT. The term BUS OUT refers to all nine lines. During INITIALSELECTION sequences, BUS OUT is monitored for the address. Atappropriate times, BUS OUT is monitored for correct parity. During datatransfers, BUS OUT contains data flowing from the mainframe 12.

The VMEGate 36 monitors the TAG OUT lines, which are driven by themainframe 12, to detect handshaking and sequence control. WhenOPERATIONAL OUT is high, all the lines from the channel 34 will besignificant. When OPERATIONAL OUT and SUPPRESS OUT are down, all inboundlines from the VMEGate 36 drop, and any operation currently in processover the interface is reset within six microseconds. When ADDRESS OUT ishigh, the VMEGate 36 decodes the I/O device address on BUS OUT. If theVMEGate 36 recognizes the address, it responds by raising OPERATIONAL INwhen SELECT OUT, or HOLD OUT, rises with ADDRESS OUT still high exceptin the short-busy sequence. ADDRESS OUT is also used by the mainframe 12to signal an Interface Disconnect. When an operation is being initiatedby the channel 34, SELECT OUT and ADDRESS OUT which indicate the addressof the device being selected, rise and stay up until the VMEGate 36recognizes its address and raises SELECT IN, or ADDRESS IN andOPERATIONAL IN or STATUS IN. When the VMEGate 36 raises SELECT IN,SELECT OUT drops and does not rise again until after SELECT IN falls.The VMEGate 36 becomes selected only when it raises its OPERATIONAL IN.HOLD OUT is a line from the channel 34 to all attached control units andis used in conjunction with SELECT OUT to synchronize VMEGate selection.During the INITIAL SELECTION sequence and control unit initiatedsequences, COMMAND OUT is raised in response to ADDRESS IN in order toindicate proceed. During the initial selection sequence, COMMAND OUT israised at least one-hundred nano seconds after the command byte isplaced on BUS OUT. COMMAND OUT then falls when STATUS IN rises. Duringdata transfers, COMMAND OUT rises to indicate that the byte count hasbeen exhausted, that is, that the entire data set has been transferredand that the transfer is complete. During status presentation sequences,COMMAND OUT is raised in response to STATUS IN rising in order to stackstatus. In this case, COMMAND OUT remains high until STATUS IN falls.During status presentation sequences, SERVICE OUT is raised in responseto STATUS IN in order to accept the status presented. SERVICE OUT islowered after STATUS IN falls. During byte mode data transfers, SERVICEOUT is raised in response to SERVICE IN rising. During WRITE and CONTROLcommands, SERVICE OUT rising indicates that the data on BUS OUT has beenvalid for at least one-hundred nano seconds. During READ and SENSEcommands, SERVICE OUT rising means that the data on BUS IN need nolonger be valid. During the SELECTIVE-RESET sequence, SUPPRESS OUT israised at least two-hundred-and-fifty nano seconds prior to OPERATIONALOUT falling and then lowered at least two-hundred-and-fifty nano secondsafter OPERATIONAL OUT rises. After CHANNEL END or DEVICE END status hasbeen presented, SUPPRESS OUT may be raised to indicate command chaining.SUPPRESS OUT may also be used to suppress status. The CLOCK OUT line isnot used in the I/O channel 34 and therefore not monitored by theVMEGate 36. METERING OUT is a channel line to condition meters ofattached control units. The VMEGate 36 does not make use of this line.MARK 0 OUT is not monitored. The VMEGate 36 will not support theoptional bus extension feature. DATA OUT is a tag line from the channel34 to all attached control units and is used in response to the rise ofDATA IN. These lines are used in conjunction with SERVICE OUT andSERVICE IN to perform high speed interlocked and data-streaming modetransfers.

The TAG IN lines are asserted by the control units and monitored by themainframe 12. The TAG IN lines are used for handshaking and sequencecontrol. OPERATIONAL IN is a tag line from all attached control units,e.g. the VMEGate 36, to the I/O channel 34 and is used to signal thechannel 34 that an I/O device has been selected. OPERATIONAL IN stays upfor the duration of the selection. The selected I/O device is identifiedby the address byte transmitted over BUS IN when ADDRESS IN was raised.ADDRESS IN is a tag line from all attached control units to the channel34 and is used to signal the channel 34 when the address of thecurrently selected I/O device has been placed on BUS IN. During anINITIAL SELECTION sequence or control-unit-initiated sequence, thechannel 34 responds to ADDRESS IN by raising COMMAND OUT. ADDRESS INmust fall so that COMMAND OUT may fall. ADDRESS IN is not upconcurrently with any other inbound tag line. STATUS IN is a tag lineused by the VMEGate 36 to present indications of its current status. Thestatus byte has a fixed format and contains bits describing the currentstatus at the control unit. The channel 34 responds by raising eitherSERVICE OUT or COMMAND OUT. SERVICE IN is a tag line used by the VMEGate36 to transfer data between the VMEGate 36 and the channel 34. Itsignals the channel 34 when the selected device is ready to send orreceive a byte of information. This line may be used with DATA IN whenfaster transfer rates are selected. The DATA IN tag line is used forhigh speed transfers and data transmission requests from the controlunit. The VMEGate 36 can transmit and receive data at a rate of up tothree or four-point-five megabytes per second in data streaming mode,making use of this line together with SERVICE IN. SELECT IN is a tagline that extends the SELECT OUT signal from the jumper in the cableterminator block of the channel 34. It provides a return path to thechannel 34 for the SELECT OUT signal. REQUEST IN tag line is raised bythe VMEGate 36 to indicate to the host that it requires service and isrequesting a selection sequence. DISCONNECT IN is a tag line raised bythe VMEGate 36 to cancel ongoing channel activity and alert the channel34 of a malfunction that affects the continued-execution capability ofthe VMEGate 36. MARK 0 IN is a tag line used by the VMEGate 36 togetherwith Channel End, Unit Check and Status Modifier bits in the devicestatus to signal a request for a retry of the previous command.

Interface Sequences

An Interface Sequence is a fixed pattern of raising and lowering ofcontrol lines in order to carry out a channel transaction. The VMEGate36 will support the following IBM 360/370 (FIPS 60-2) I/O channel 34 toControl Unit Interface Sequences. Initial-Selection Sequence is used toinitiate an operation between the channel 34 and a control unit. Initialselection is used by the VMEGate 36 to recognize the address placed onBUS OUT by the channel. SELECT OUT is kept from propagating further andthe VMEGate microcode handles the interface sequence until data transferstarts. The address of the I/O device is placed on BUS OUT and ADDRESSOUT is raised. The channel 34 then raises HOLD OUT followed by SELECTOUT. At this point one of three acceptable events can occur. If SELECTIN rises, then no control unit recognized the address, and anappropriate code is then passed, and ADDRESS OUT, HOLD OUT, and SELECTOUT are lowered. If STATUS IN rises, a short-busy sequence occurs. IfOPERATIONAL IN rises, the initial-selection sequence continues.

Data transfer sequence occurs after a good initial status has beenpresented to the channel 34 from the selected device. The transfer ofbytes is synchronized with the toggling of SERVICE IN and SERVICE OUTand also DATA IN and DATA OUT when in high speed interlocked ordata-streaming. COMMAND OUT is raised in response to SERVICE IN toterminate the data transfer. If at any time during the data transfersequence, either STATUS IN or DISCONNECT IN rises, or parity is bad, thedata transfer will be terminated.

Recognition of exceptional, and asynchronous channel sequences such asInterface Disconnect, Selective Reset and System Reset ensures thatchannel timing specifications are met. The control-unit-initiatedsequence occurs when the control unit initiates a transfer by raisingREQUEST IN. If the channel 34 is not busy with other duties, it raisesHOLD OUT and then SELECT OUT in order to select the I/O device. At thispoint OPERATIONAL IN rises, followed by ADDRESS IN rising. The channel34 then raises COMMAND OUT, after which ADDRESS IN falls; COMMAND OUT isthen lowered and this concludes a control-unit-initiated sequence. Theending sequence consists of the presentation and acceptance of status.This can be the same as initial status, it can follow initial status, itcan follow the data transfer sequence, it can follow acontrol-unit-initiated sequence, or follow another ending sequence. OnceSTATUS IN is high, the channel 34 raises SUPPRESS OUT if commandchaining is to be indicated, and then raises SERVICE OUT. Once STATUS INfalls, SERVICE OUT is lowered.

During the execution of an I/O operation, the interface-disconnectsequence may be used by the channel 34 to signal the control unit to endexecution of an ongoing I/O operation. If HOLD OUT is down and ADDRESSOUT rises or if ADDRESS OUT is up and HOLD OUT falls, the presentlyconnected control unit has to drop OPERATIONAL IN, thus disconnectingfrom the interface.

The selective-reset sequence is generated by the channel 34 and mayoccur anytime OPERATIONAL IN is up. Selective reset is indicatedwhenever SUPPRESS OUT is up and OPERATIONAL OUT drops. This conditioncauses OPERATIONAL IN to fall and causes the particular I/O device inoperation, and its status, to be reset.

The system-reset sequence is used to reset all control units and I/Odevices that are online. System reset is indicated whenever OPERATIONALOUT and SUPPRESS OUT are down concurrently and the I/O device is in theonline mode. This condition causes all BUS IN and TAG IN signals to falland all control units and their attached I/O devices to return to theirreset state.

Other Sequences supported by the VMEGate 36, include Short Busy, HighSpeed Data Transfer, Data Streaming; Interface Disconnect, CommandChaining, Suppress Status, and Stack Status.

SBC Software Interface

I/O channel operations are controlled by information passed between theSBC 40 and the VMEGate 36 through designated storage areas on the VMEbus 46 called registers or buffers. These registers and bufferspreferably in the memory of the SBC 40 or the cache memory 38 willcontain status and sense information for one or more devices. Theseregisters and buffers will be used by the VMEGate 36 to store incomingchannel commands and data in an input buffer, as well as to readoutgoing data, from an output buffer, to the mainframe 12. Each devicehas its own string of input and output buffers. These buffers can bedynamically allocated as well as changed in size. The location and sizeof the buffers is defined by SBC software during initialization orduring run time. The VMEGate 36 is capable of generating vectoredinterrupts in response to certain VMEGate status conditions such asbuffer requests. The SBC 40 can identify the cause of an interrupt byreading the VMEGate status buffer in the SBC memory.

Writable Control Store Memory

The SBC 40 downloads the VMEGate microprogram by writing into the WCS 80through a transceiver, the DTB SLAVE. The starting base address isdefined by the jumper settings. A memory map depicting the address spaceis shown in VMEGate VME bus Memory Map Table. With this addressingscheme, the VMEGate 36 requires sixteen K words or thirty-two kilo byteaddress space.

After microprogram validity has been determined, a START instruction canbe issued by writing a one to the LSB of the Start/Status Register 136.This enables the clock generator 78 and the sequencer 86 to startexecution of the micro-instruction at address zero, which should be thestarting location of the VMEGate initialization routine.

Registers

The VMEGate 36 contains both slave registers 88, 94 and 136 and masterregisters 90, 92 and 146. The slave registers 88, 94 and 136 can beaccessed by the SBC 40 during memory reads or writes to the VMEGateaddress space as defined in the VMEGate SBC/VME Address Table. Themaster registers 90, 92 and 146 are used to perform data transfers onthe VME bus 46 to and from the VMEGate 36. The VMEGate slave registers88, 94 and 136 can be accessed by the SBC 40 through the VME addressspace shown in the VMEGate SBC/VME Address Table.

    ______________________________________                                        VMEGate SBC/VME Address Table                                                 ADDRESS   REGISTER NAME  USED FOR PASSING                                     ______________________________________                                        BASE + 6H START (write)  Activates the VMEGate                                BASE + 6H STATUS (read)  Active status,                                                                and data check                                       BASE + 0EH                                                                              COMMAND (write)                                                                              VMEGate commands                                                              (from SBC)                                           ______________________________________                                    

The Start/Status register 136, when written into, is used by the SBC 40to deactivate the VMEGate 36. Writing a zero to the Start/StatusRegister stops the clock generator 78 and also allows access to the WCS80 for downloading or modifying of the VMEGate microprogram. Issuing aread to this register 136 will present two status conditions. If the LSBis a one, it indicates that the VMEGate 36 is stopped and microprogramdownload may proceed. If this bit is a zero, it indicates that theVMEGate 36 is active. The second status condition is VMEGate SystemCheck and is indicated by bit one being a zero. This condition alsocauses the red "SYS CHK" LED to light up. Other status information suchas channel or device status can be presented to the SBC 40 by theVMEGate 36 through a status buffer in SBC memory.

The command register 94 is used by the SBC 40 to pass commands andparameters to the VMEGate 36 for processing at 216. The Initializecommand is issued after the VMEGate microprogram has been downloaded andthe VMEGate has been activated by writing a one to the start register136, which initialize command sets the VMEGate buffer address pointers.The Online command will allow the VMEGate 36 to respond to I/O ChannelInitial Selection Sequences. The Offline command instructs the VMEGate36 to not respond to Initial Selection. The Self Test command instructsthe VMEGate 36 to execute self testing when offline. The DownloadCommand Validator Memory command instructs the VMEGate 36 to load theCommand Validator Memory 126 from a buffer in SBC memory with theaddress of this file is passed to the VMEGate during initialization. Thepresent status command instructs the VMEGate 36 to update its StatusBuffer located in VME system memory.

The Data-In register 92 and Data-Out register 90 are used by the ALU 116in the VMEGate 36 to read and write data to VME bus memory. The datatransferred may be data or status information such as device busy orbuffer addresses. These registers 90 and 92 are master only typeregisters and are not accessible through the VME bus 46 when the VMEGate36 is in the slave mode.

The address counter 132 is a master type register and is used by theVMEGate 36 to generate a VME bus address. This counter 132 will beloaded with the address of data or status buffer locations passed fromthe SBC 40 to the VMEGate 36 during initialization. Together with theData-In register 92 and the Data-Out register 90, the address counter132 will allow direct memory transfers to be performed by the VMEGate36.

Command Validator Memory

The Command Validator Memory (CVM) 126 is a RAM used to facilitate thedecoding of channel addresses and commands in the VMEGate 36. After theSBC 40 issues the Initialize command and before the SBC 40 can place theVMEGate 36 online to the I/O channel 34, the SBC 40 has to initializethe CVM 126 by using the Download CVM command.

The SBC downloads the CVM 126. The SBC 40 first makes sure that the Busyflag for the VMEGate 36 in the Command Status Word is cleared so thatthe VMEGate 36 is not busy processing another SBC command. The SBC 40then places the Command Validator data file in its memory buffer at thestarting address which was passed to the VMEGate 36 duringinitialization. The SBC 40 then sets the Busy flag of the VMEGate 36.Next, the SBC 40 writes the command code of the Download CVM commandinto the command register 94 of the VMEGate 36. Then, the VMEGate 36reads the data file from SBC memory into CVM 126, starting from locationzero. The upper byte of the data word is first loaded into the CVM 126.That is, the upper byte, bits eight to fifteen, of the first word isloaded into location zero, bit fifteen into bit seven, of the CVM 126,and, the lower byte is loaded into location one. For the first word,bits fifteen to eight are loaded into location zero and bits seven tozero are loaded into location one. For the second word, bits fifteen toeight are loaded into location two and bits seven to zero are loadedinto location three, etc. After all one-hundred-and-twenty-eight words,which is two-hundred-and-fifty-six bytes of data, have been transferred,the VMEGate 36 clears its Busy flag in the Command Status Word.

The SBC 40 can verify the validity of the data downloaded into the CVM126 by performing the Upload CVM command. This command can only beexecuted when the VMEGate 36 is offline. The procedures for the UploadCVM command is similar to the Download CVM command except that thecontents of the CVM is transferred to VME bus memory at the CommandValidator Buffer address that was passed to the VMEGate 36 duringinitialization, and that, the SBC 40 has to compare the data after theBusy flag of the VMEGate 36 is cleared. The data format of the CVM 126is defined as follows: bit seven is Valid Channel Address; bit six isValid Channel Command; bit five is Uninstalled Device; bits four to zeroare the encoded mapping vector of the channel command if bit six is set.

The address of the CVM is zero to two-hundred and fifty-five andcorresponds to the channel commands and also the channel addresses. Forexample, for a control unit with sixteen devices, if 50h is a validchannel address, bit seven in location 50h should contain a one. If 54his a valid channel command, bit six of location 54h should be a one andbits four to zero should have the mapping vector of the command. Bitseven of location 54h should also be set, because 50h to 5Fh are allvalid addresses.

SBC Software

MOST 10 emulates an IBM 3480 Cartridge Tape drive using up to sixteenOptical disk drives 16 and four robotic jukeboxes 18. SBC softwareintegrates the actions of the four I/O interfaces including the IBM(FIPS 60) Channel 34 using the VMEGate 36, the SCSI optical drivesinterface port 17 using the Ciprico Rimfire 3504 VME bus SCSI board 42,the jukebox RS-232 interface port 19 using the XYCOM XVME-420 VME busSerial I/O board 44, and, the operator RS-232 interface ports 25 and 27using the GMS V06 Single Board Computer 40.

The SBC software for MOST 10 consists of seven distinct modules.Referring to FIGS. 7-13, each module runs under a different interruptlevels of the microprocessor on the SBC 40. The modules communicate withother modules through flags and pointers which reside in the SBC memory.The keypress module 600-660 shown in FIG. 13 for operator interface ispriority level zero. The quarter second interrupt handler module (QIHM)550-586 shown in FIG. 12 is at priority level three for screen updatesin response to flags set by VMEGate interrupt handler module. Theone-hundred microsecond interrupt handler module (OIHM) 520-546 shown inFIG. 11 is at priority level four for SCSI command initiation andjukebox command initiation. The SCSI interrupt handler module (SIHM)480-516 shown in FIG. 10 is at priority level five for SCSI commandcompletion and continuation. The jukebox interrupt handler module (JIHM)450-472 shown in FIG. 9 is at priority level five for jukebox commandcompletion and error recognition. The VMEGate interrupt handler module(VIHM) 420-448 shown in FIG. 8 is at priority level six for I/O channelinterface maintenance. The boot module 400-416 shown in FIG. 7 is atpriority level seven for setting the hardware configuration, enablinginterrupts, VMEGate microcode downloading, and jumping to the keypressmodule.

The boot software 400 resides in EPROM and is responsible for accessingthe floppy drive 52 and downloading the remainder of the SBC softwarefrom the floppy disk. The Boot software 400 is executed when power isapplied or when a reset button, not shown, is pushed. The Boot software400 initializes and uses the SCSI board 42 directly rather than throughthe OIHM or through the SIHM. The Boot software 402-416 initializes MOST10 and then provides an operational interface to the user.

The QIHM is executed every N times through the OIHM where N is definedin a header file. The QIHM is used to update the console video screenand determine if the state of MOST 10 has changed by looking atparameters in each of the online CABs and SBBs. Changes are recognizedby the QIHM. The changes include: New messages sent from the mainframe12 using the Load Display CCW; Initiating and maintaining system modedisk retrieval and virtual tape mounting in response to mount messagesfrom the mainframe 12; Rewind Unload CCWs which make a drive Not Ready;Tape motion CCWs which erase certain Load Display CCW messages; Any CCWexecuted which causes the WAIT "LED" on the video screen to blink;Optical drive action which causes the SELECTED "LED" on the video screento turn on; Jukebox action which causes the messages "SPIN-UP","SPIN-DOWN", and "UNLOCKED" to appear in the disk message area on thevideo screen.

Every one-hundred microseconds, the OIHM is executed to determinewhether there is any SCSI operation pending for each drive 16. If thereis a COMMAND PENDING, the command specified in the Command DescriptorBlock structure of the SBB will be issued and the drive 16 remains INPROCESS until the SCSI command is recognized as completed by the SIHM.

SCSI activity can be set up in the SBB by either the SIHM, VIHM, QIHM orkeypress module. At any given time, only one module can initiate thisactivity. Which software module has this control depends on the state ofMOST 10. The keypress module can only initiate SCSI activity when thechannel address is logically NOT READY. This means that either novirtual tape is mounted, or the controller 14 is offline, or theReady/Not Ready switch is in the Not Ready position. Keypress moduleinitiated SCSI activity consists of: spinning up and down disks, readingdisk IDs and tape directories when Loading and Unloading disks manually;creating, deleting or editing virtual tapes; and mounting virtual tapes.The QIHM can only initiate SCSI activity when writing tape maps when avirtual tape is rewound and unloaded or when writing a tape directoryprior to a disk ejection. The QIHM can also initiate SCSI activity whenresponding to mount messages when in the system mode, when thecontroller 14 is online, when the Ready/Not Ready switch is in the readyposition, and, when there is no virtual tape currently mounted. Quartersecond interrupt SCSI activity consists of: writing tape maps whenrewinding and unloading virtual tapes; writing tape directories prior toejection; spinning up and down disks; and reading disk IDs and tapedirectories when loading disks in the system mode. The SIHM can onlyinitiate SCSI activity when a virtual tape is mounted, when theReady/Not Ready switch is in the Ready position and when and theController is online, but only if preplanned SCSI activity has been setup in support of mainframe initiated Reads, Read Backwards and Writes.SCSI interrupt initiated SCSI activity consists of Reads and Writes ofData Records in response to and in anticipation of mainframe Read andRead Backwards commands. The VIHM can initiate the first SCSI Read orWrite in a sequence of Reads or Writes in response to or anticipation ofmainframe requests. This VIHM SCSI initiated activity is subject to thesame constraints as is the SIHM SCSI initiated activity. SCSI activityis generally continued by the SIHM. In a similar manner and if there isa COMMAND PENDING for a jukebox, a jukebox command will also beinitiated at the one-hundred Microsecond interrupt level. Jukeboxcommands can be initiated either by the keypress module or by the QIHMwhen in the system mode. After each call of the OIHM, a counter isdecremented. When the counter is zero, the QIHM is called. The QIHM isexecuted at a lower interrupt level than the OIHM so that one-hundredmicrosecond interrupts continue to execute even while the QIHM is beingexecuted.

The SIHM is activated whenever a SCSI I/O board 42 issues an interruptto the SBC 40. The SIHM interprets the status presented by the SCSI I/Oboard 42 and takes action based on it. SCSI status is stored in the SBBfor the appropriate drive 16. Status indicating COMMAND COMPLETE, isalso stored in the SBB.

SCSI activity initiated by the VIHM cannot be monitored by the VIHMbecause the VIHM has a higher interrupt priority than either the SIHM orthe OIHM. There is a branch 492 in the SIHM that is executed whenever aRead or Write of channel data to or from the virtual tape is complete.This branch 492 determines if there is sufficient data in the databuffer to justify a successive SCSI Read or Write. If there is, software494 sets up the SCSI command, and then, returns from interrupt. COMMANDCOMPLETE is not indicated, but instead COMMAND PENDING is set insoftware 494. The next execution of the OIHM will start the command, andlater calls of the SIHM will complete it and perhaps reissue newcommands at software 494.

The VIHM is responsible for maintaining the internal state of the flagsand arrays of the CABs based on channel activity. The channel activityis reported to the SBC 40 through VMEGate interrupts. In the case ofRead, Read Backwards and Write CCWs, the VIHM sets up SCSI commands. Thenext execution of the OIHM will start the processing of the SCSI commandand the SIHM will complete the command, possibly initiating further SCSIcommands.

In the case Forward Space File, Backward Space File, and, Locate tapemotion CCWs, pointers in the CAB are updated directly by the VIHM. Unitstatus and sense bytes are maintained by the VIHM. Each channel addresscan be in various states which are defined by the states of bits in theCAB and condition of the optical drives and their SBBs. The states arechanged through the actions of the keypress module, the VIHM, and theQIHM.

Each disk drive 16 and disk 20 is either loaded or ejected. When a disk20 is loaded, the operator can create, delete, edit or mount virtualtapes that reside on that loaded disk. Ejecting a disk 20 makes thesefunctions unavailable for that disk but frees the drive 16 so thatanother disk 20 can be loaded. The sequence for loading a disk consistsof placing the disk in the drive and selecting the load disk function atsoftware 636. The disk 20 is then spun-up and the disk ID and tapedirectory are read. If the disk ID and tape directory are readsuccessfully, the disk 20 is considered logically loaded. If any ofthese conditions were not true, such as no disk ID, no tape directory orthe disk was not spinning, the operator is presented with the reason onthe video screen why the load operation failed. Once a disk is loaded,it remains in that state until the eject disk function is selected, orthe load function respecting another disk is selected.

The SBC software keeps the operator from ejecting a disk 20 withoutfirst dismounting any virtual tape that may be currently mounted. Thelogical ready state of a drive 16 means that a virtual tape is capableof being written to or read from by the I/O Channel 34. The keypressmodule can only initiate SCSI activity for a drive 16 when that drive 16is logically not ready. SCSI activity includes disk load and unloadfunctions and create, edit, delete and mount virtual tape functions.MOST 10 cannot respond to some CCWs unless the drive 16 is in thelogically ready state. The drive 16 is under the control of the I/OChannel 34 when it is logically ready, or, under the control of theoperator when it is logically not ready.

A drive 16 is in the logically ready state when the ready/not readyswitch is in the ready position, and when a virtual tape is mounted. Ifone or more of these conditions is not true, the drive 16 is logicallynot ready. When a drive 16 is logically not ready and becomes ready whenthe last of these three conditions becomes true. The keypress modulerecognizes this condition and issues the GO READY command to the VMEGate36. At this point, the drive 16 can be made logically not ready by arewind unload CCW from the I/O Channel 34.

The drive 16 can also be made logically not ready by the operator bychanging the state of the ready/not ready switch or the controller 14online/offline switch, but this may risk data destruction if the I/OChannel 34 is transmitting Read or Write CCWs at the time. When thedrive 16 is made logically not ready by the operator, the keypressmodule issues a GO NOT READY command to the VMEGate 36. During normalactivity, the VMEGate 36 responds to channel commands with statuses anddata transfers.

Upon application of power or a system reset, the boot module isexecuted. All system memory will be initialized 402 to zero. Next, theSerial I/O board 44 is initialized 404 for RS-232 communications bysending configuration commands to the serial I/O board 44. The SCSIboard 42 is then initialized 406. Next, the interrupts are initialized408 by programming the timer circuitry on the SBC 40. The video screenof the console 24 is then initialized 410 to the normal operatingdisplay. The optical drives 16 and jukeboxes 18 are then initialized 412and 414, respectively. Then, the code will jump 416 to the keypressmodule.

The VIHM is responsible for taking the appropriate actions in responseto CCWs from the I/O Channel 34. Once the VMEGate 36 interrupts the SBC40, the reason for the VMEGate interrupt is determined 422 by examiningthe information written into the ICB buffer by the VMEGate 36. If thereason for the VMEGate interrupt is determined to be the result of a CCWcommand 424, then the appropriate function which sets up and initiatesthe appropriate response 426, is executed followed by a return frominterrupt 428.

If the VMEGate interrupt is determined to require the completion of aCCW 530, then it is determined whether any errors occurred during theexecution of the CCW command. Next, the channel status byte isdetermined and set 432. The VMEGate 36 is then sent this status byte.The VMEGate 36 in turn sends this status byte 434 to the I/O Channel 34and then returns from interrupt 436. If the VMEGate interrupt is inresponse to a channel exception 438, the SBC will either perform aninterface disconnect, selective reset, or system reset action 440followed by return from interrupt 442. If the VMEGate interrupt requiresthe reporting of a channel error 444, then the error is handled at 446by updating the channel sense bytes and channel status byte followed bya return from interrupt 448.

The JIHM occurs in response to a jukebox interrupt which occurs when ajukebox 18 sends a message through the RS-232 interface port 19. TheJIHM first determines 452 which of the four possible jukeboxes 18 causedthis jukebox interrupt. Then, pointers are set to the appropriate JCBbuffer. Next, the JIHM determines to which level, or sequence number ofa sequence of commands, the message is in response 454. The level numberis included in the message and indicates to which command in a sequenceof commands the message is responding. A check sum of the message stringis sent at the end of the string for verification 456. If the check sumis incorrect a minus character is sent 458 to the jukebox 18 followed bya return from interrupt 460. If the check sum is correct, a pluscharacter is sent to the jukebox 18 and the message string is checkedfor an error indicator 462 to verify if the command completedsuccessfully. If an error occurred, a flag is set in the current level466 to indicate the condition followed by a return from interrupt 468.If there was no error, then a command complete indicator is set in thecurrent level 470 followed by a return from interrupt 472.

The SIHM responds to SCSI interrupts. Once a SCSI interrupt occurs, theSIHM first determines 482 what SCSI device 42 or 48 caused the SCSIinterrupt. If the SCSI interrupt was from the SCSI board 42, theinterrupt would indicate that a SCSI command has completed. The SIHMcopies the SCSI status byte from the SCSI board 42 into the SCSI blockbuffer 484. Next the SCSI board is checked for an error indicator 486.If an error occurred, a flag is set 490 followed by a return frominterrupt 500. If there was no error, a flag is set to indicate that theSCSI command was completed 488 followed by a return from interrupt 500.

If SCSI interrupt was from the magnetic media controller 48, theprogress of the command is checked 502. The progress is determined bywhich phase that the SCSI bus 17a was in at the time of the SCSIinterrupt. If it is determined that the command is not complete 504,then the proper action is execute 506 for the present SCSI phase. Oncethe SCSI phase has been serviced, a return from interrupt 508 occurs. Ifit had been determined that this interrupt was the result of the SCSIcommand completing 504, an error indicator is checked 510 to verify thatthe command completed successfully. If the error flag is not set 516,then a status word is set 512 to indicate a command complete followed bya return from interrupt 514.

The OIHM responds to one hundred microsecond interrupts. Once the onehundred microsecond interrupt occurs, the OIHM first checks the firstSCSI block buffer to see if a command is pending 521. If a SCSI commandis pending, it will be initiated at 526. If a SCSI command is notpending, then the next SCSI block buffer will be checked 528. Once allSCSI block buffers are checked, the first jukebox command buffer ischecked to see if a jukebox command is pending 530. If no jukeboxcommand is pending for this jukebox command buffer then the next jukeboxcommand buffer is checked 544. Once all jukebox command buffers havebeen checked, a return from interrupt 546 occurs.

A level is a command sequence number. Each level has a level commandflag. A previous level must be completed before a subsequent level canbe initiated. This insures that jukebox commands are executed in therequired order. The level command flag, juke-flag-word, has four bitswhich can be set to either COMMAND PENDING, IN PROCESS, ERROR, orCOMMAND COMPLETE.

Once the OIHM determines that a SCSI command is pending for a jukebox18, the OIHM must determine which command at the highest priority levelis pending 532. If a SCSI command is pending at a level, then the stringrequired to execute the command is initiated and sent to the jukebox 18.Then, level command flag is set to IN PROCESS followed by a return frominterrupt 546. If no command is pending for a particular level thenlevel is checked to see if a SCSI command is currently in process 534.If the level is in process then the next jukebox is checked 545 ifappropriate. The next one hundred microsecond interrupt will check thislevel to determine if it has completed. If the level command flag is notIN PROCESS, then the level command flag is checked to see if it is setto COMMAND COMPLETE 538. If the level command flag is not set to COMMANDCOMPLETE, then an error occurred and the jukebox error flag is set 540and the jukebox COMMAND PENDING flag is cleared 529 to indicate that noother operations will occur to this jukebox 18 until another module setsup the appropriate levels and sets the jukebox COMMAND PENDING flagagain. If the level is command complete, that is the command level flagis set by JIHM to COMMAND COMPLETE, then OIHM determines if all levelshave been checked 541. If there are no more levels to be checked, thenthe jukebox COMMAND PENDING flag is cleared 543. If there are morelevels to be checked then the next level 547 is processed during theexecution of the loop 532-541.

Once the jukebox COMMAND PENDING flag is cleared 543, OIHM determines545 whether there-are more jukeboxes to be checked. If there are no morejukeboxes 18 to check then a return from interrupt 546 occurs. If thereare more jukeboxes to be check 545 then the loop 530-545 is executedagain for the next jukebox 18.

The QIHM responds to Quarter Second Interrupts. Once a quarter secondinterrupt occurs, the QIHM determines 552 whether MOST is booting or ifthere is currently a message being sent to the video screen, and if so,then a return from interrupt 554 occurs. If not, then the QIHMdetermines whether the real time clock is being set 556, and if so, thena return from interrupt 558 occurs.

If MOST 10 is not booting, nor is there a message being sent to thescreen, then the wait flag is checked 560. If the wait flag is set, itindicates that there is I/O Channel activity being processed. If waitflag is set, the wait LEDs are blinked 562. If the wait flag is not setor the wait LEDs have been blinked, then the QIHM determines whetherSCSI activity is occurring for a displayed Drive Operator Panel 564. Ifthere is SCSI activity, then the selected LED in the panel is lit 566.In both cases, then the QIHM determines whether a optical drive 16spin-up or spin-down command is in process for a displayed panel 568. Ifso, then the message is updated 570 on the video screen.

Next the real time clock is updated on the video screen 572. Then theQIHM determines if a system mode mount is in process 574. If this istrue, then the video screen is updated as required 576.

The QIHM then determines 578 whether a Load Display command has beenreceived from the I/O Channel 34. If a new Load Display command has beenreceived, then the load display message is sent to video screen 580.Then, the QIHM determines 582 whether there has been a Rewind orRewind/Unload command received from the I/O Channel 34. If this is thecase, then the tape map is written to the optical disk 20 if the tapemap has been changed 584. A return from interrupt 586 then occurs.

After a system boot, the keypress module polls to recognize when a keyon the keyboard has been struck. Once a key is struck on the console 24,the keypress module executes the corresponding code depending on whichkey was struck. After executing the appropriate code, the keypressmodule will return to its polling loop waiting for the next key to bestruck. If a key that is not defined is struck, then no action is taken.

If the F1 key is struck 602, then the normal/test menu appears and theuser is then instructed for the next operation. If the F2 key is struck606, the online/offline routine 608 will be called which will causeonline/offline status to be toggled from its current state. If the F3key is struck 610, a menu will be displayed which prompts the operatorto enter a new channel address. This will allow the VMEGate 36 torespond to a new channel address. If the F6 key is struck 614, therewind function 616 is called which will perform a rewind of the tapemounted on the selected drive operator panel. If the F7 key is struck618, the rewind/unload routine 620 is called which will perform therewind/unload operation upon the tape mounted on the selected driveoperator panel. If the tape had been changed, then the tape map willalso be written to the optical disk 20. If the F8 key is struck 622, theready/not ready routine 624 is called which will toggle the state fromits current state of drive corresponding to the selected drive operatorpanel. If the F12 key is struck 626, the Tape Create/Delete/Edit routine628 is called which will display a menu that will allow the operator toperform the selected operation on a optical disk 20 loaded into a drive16 corresponding to the selected drive operator panel. If the F13 key isstruck 630, the tape mount routine 632 is called which will allow theoperator to choose an available tape to be mounted. If the tape is on anoptical disk 20 that is not currently loaded into an optical drive 16,then the jukebox 18 will be used to retrieve the appropriate opticaldisk 20. If the F14 key is struck 636, the disk load/eject function 636is called which will allow the operator to load or eject an optical disk20 to or from the drive corresponding to the selected drive operatorpanel. If the F15 key is struck 638, a disk directory (data base)routine 640 is called depending on the choice that is given to theoperator. The operator may cause the importation of an optical disk 20or may view the contents of the disk directory. If the F16 key is struck642, the help routines 644 will be called. If the `M` key is struck 646,the selected drive operator panel will be changed to manual mode 648. Ifthe `S` key is struck 650, the selected drive operator panel will bechanged to system mode 652. If the `0` through `F` hex key is struck654, the requested drive operator panel will be selected 656. If thereis no drive associated with the selected panel, then no action willoccur. If the `R` key is struck 658, then the video screen will berefreshed 660. This would be required in situations where the screen mayhave been temporarily powered off.

Buffers

System memory, comprising SBC memory and cache memory 38, is necessaryfor the VMEGate 36 to process I/O Channel transactions. The memory ofthe SBC 40 and cache memory 38 are referred to as either buffers orregisters. The VMEGate 36 requests additional cache memory space whenneeded. The SBC 40 performs cache memory buffer management to preventoverruns. There are several buffers in SBC memory which define the stateof MOST and are used for communication between the software modules. Theprimary buffers are the sixteen Channel Address Buffers (CABs) and theSCSI Block Buffers (SBBs). The CABs define the state of each channeladdress for both online and offline channel addresses. These sixteenCABs are used primarily by the SBC 40 and the VMEGate 36. There is oneSBB for each optical drive 16. There is a one to one assignment betweeneach CAB and each SBB and each online channel address. This assignmentis dynamic in that it can change during operation of MOST. SCSI Commandsfor and SCSI statuses of the optical drives 16 are contained in theSBBs. There are several other buffers that are used.

Jukebox Command Buffers

For each jukebox 18 there is a Jukebox Command Buffer (JCB). The SBBscontain pointers to the JCBs in the SBC memory to indicate which jukebox18 houses the optical drive 16. The JCB is used to set up jukebox RS232commands for the jukeboxes 18 and to monitor the states of the jukeboxes18. The JCB contains information regarding the number and placement ofoptical drives 16 within the jukebox 18. The JCB contains ajuke-flag-word containing COMMAND PENDING, COMMAND COMPLETE, IN PROCESSand ERROR bits for controlling command processing.

Channel Address Buffers

The CAB is an array of sixteen identical structures. Each CAB representseither an online or an offline drive. The first N CABs are online whereN is the number of optical drives 16. Each structure has bufferscontaining values that are used by the VMEGate 36 and the MOST softwaremodules.

The sense-byte buffer is eight bytes and holds the first eight sensedata bytes for the SENSE CCW. The responsibility for maintaining thesebytes is divided between the VMEGate microcode and the VIHM 420-448. Thelast sense-byte will normally be 21H. After presentation of Unit Checkunit status, the VIHM sets the last sense-byte to 20H indicating to theVMEGate 36 that the sense data is valid.

The format-20-sense-bytes and format-21-sense-bytes are twenty-fourbytes each holding the remaining twenty-four sense data bytes for theSENSE CCW. Which of these two arrays is used for the remainingtwenty-four bytes following the sense-bytes depends on whether the lastsense-byte is 20h or 21h. The responsibility for maintaining these bytesbelongs to the VIHM.

The locate-block-buffer is four bytes and used by the VMEGate 36 tostore the data on Locate Block CCWs. The block-id-buffer is eight bytesand is used to supply the block id for the READ BLOCK ID CCW. It isloaded by the VIHM at the time of the CCW. It is invalid all othertimes.

The set-sense-path-group-id-buffer is twelve bytes and is used for boththe SET and the SENSE PATH GROUP ID CCWs. The assign-buffer is twelvebytes and is used for the ASSIGN CCW. The unassign-buffer is twelvebytes and is used for the UNASSIGN CCW. The control-access-buffer istwelve bytes and is used for the CONTROL ACCESS CCW.

The load-display-buffer is eighteen bytes and is used to transfer datafrom the LOAD DISPLAY CCW to the screen. This buffer is used by theVMEGate 36 to store the incoming data on a LOAD DISPLAY CCW. The LOADDISPLAY CCW sends seventeen bytes. The VMEGate 36 places a zero in theeighteenth byte. On interruption for the LOAD DISPLAY CCW, the VIHMincrements the eighteenth byte bypassing zero. The QIHM keeps track ofwhat was in the eighteenth byte. If there is a difference between whatis there and what was there on the previous interrupt, the QIHM willevaluate the format control byte, load-display-buffer [0], and determinewhether to display the message for the LOAD DISPLAY CCW. If theeighteenth byte is zero, nothing is changed until the next activation ofthe QIHM. By that time, the VIHM 550-586 will have overwritten theeighteenth byte.

The Tape-Motion-flag is cleared each time that a VIHM interrupt occursfor a LOAD DISPLAY CCW. It is set whenever a CCW that involves tapemotion is executed. This bit is polled by the QIHM to determine if aLOAD DISPLAY message is to be displayed.

The VIH-flag-word word is used by the VIHM and the SIHM to determinewhat actions to take on the SCSI bus depending on which CCW is pendingand what SCSI activities are taking place. The bits are set by the VIHM,but some bits are cleared by the SIHM. VIH-flag-word bits are ABORT,SYNCHRONIZE, DEVICE END PENDING, WRITING, READING and BUFFER PENDING.

ABORT is set when a non read tape motion CCW arrives and look-ahead SCSIreads are occurring, that is, when READING is set and when IN PROCESS orCOMMAND PENDING in SCSI-flag-word and the SCSI-GO-flag are set. Thistype of CCW implies that the look-ahead reads are no longer necessary.ABORT is set after presentation of delayed Channel Command Retry unitstatus. DEVICE END PENDING is always set along with ABORT. When aCommand Complete message is presented by the SCSI device and if the SIHM480-516 determines that READING and ABORT are set, it will set COMMANDCOMPLETE in the SCSI-flag-word, reset all data buffer pointers and tapemap entry pointers, set WRITE BUFFER READY, clear DEVICE END PENDING,READING and ABORT, and present status of DEVICE END to the Channel 34.Once ABORT is set, the VIHM may not alter the VIH-flag-word or theDB-flag-word until ABORT is cleared by the SIHM.

SYNCHRONIZE is set when a SCSI write is occurring and the remaining datain the Data Buffer is to be flushed to the disk 20. This occurs when anon-write tape motion CCW occurs following data being left in the DataBuffer. On these CCWs delayed Channel Command Retry unit status will bepresented to the Channel 34. If there is a SCSI write occurring, theVIHM sets SYNCHRONIZE and DEVICE END PENDING.

When the SIHM detects the setting of WRITING and SYNCHRONIZE, it willcreate SCSI commands designed to flush the Data Buffer. Once all datahas been transferred, the SIHM will update the data buffer pointers andtape map entry pointers; set CMD COMPLETE in the SCSI-flag-word; setWRITE BUFFER READY; clear DEVICE END PENDING, WRITING, and SYNCHRONIZE;and present status of DEVICE END to the Channel 34. Once SYNCHRONIZE isset, the VIHM may not alter the VIH-flag-word or the DB-flag-word untilSYNCHRONIZE is cleared by the SIHM.

WRITING is set by the VIHM when a SCSI write is initiated. The SIHMclears WRITING when SYNCHRONIZE is set and all data has been written tothe disk 20. WRITING will remain set from the first WRITE CCW in a chainuntil the first CCW that causes a synchronization. The SIHM testsWRITING after a SCSI command is completed to see if it must set up anyfurther SCSI writes. If WRITING is set, the SIHM updates the data bufferpointers and tape map entry pointers to reflect the most recent SCSIcommand completion. The SIHM sets up SCSI writes if WRITING is set andthere is data that is ready to be written. Data is ready to be writtenwhen the amount of sequential unwritten data in the Data Buffer exceedsa threshold value, when the unwritten data extends to within a MAX BLOCKLENGTH of the end of the Data Buffer so no more data will be written, orwhen SYNCHRONIZE is set.

READING is set by the VIHM when a READ CCW is issued. It is cleared bythe VIHM when a non-READ CCW is issued and the SCSI command IN PROCESSor COMMAND PENDING are not set and SCSI-GO-flag is set. READING iscleared by the SIHM when ABORT is set and the current SCSI command iscomplete. The SIHM tests READING when a SCSI command is complete. IfREADING is set, the SIHM updates the data buffer pointers and tape mapentry pointers to reflect the completion of the SCSI read. If there isroom in the Data Buffer for the next SCSI read and ABORT is not set, theSIHM will set up the next SCSI read. If there is no more room in theData Buffer, the SIHM will set COMMAND COMPLETE.

DEVICE END PENDING is set by the VIHM when a CCW on the Channel 34 ispending and waiting for presentation of DEVICE END unit status. DEVICEEND could be pending due to the splitting of CHANNEL END and DEVICE ENDor because of a delayed Channel Command Retry unit status. DEVICE ENDPENDING is always set when ABORT or SYNCHRONIZE is set. DEVICE ENDPENDING is cleared by the SIHM after presenting DEVICE END unit statusto the Channel 34. Once the DEVICE END PENDING is set, the VIHM may notalter the VIH-flag-word or the DB-flag-word until DEVICE END PENDING iscleared by the SIHM.

BUFFER PENDING is set when a READ CCW is received but no data is pendingin the data buffer. BUFFER PENDING is set by the VIHM. It is clearedwhen the data is in the data buffer by the SIHM.

The DB-flag-word word contains status that is read by the VMEGate 36 andthe VIHM. The bits are set and cleared by either the VIHM or the SIHMdepending on bits in the VIH-flag-word. There is no state where both theVIHM and the SIHM may set or clear bits in the DB-flag-word. TheDB-flag-word indicates whether data is valid in the Data Buffer andindicates to the VMEGates 36 certain tape conditions. The DB-flag-wordincludes READ DATA VALID, WRITE BUFFER READY, PHYS EOT, LOG EOT, READBKWD DATA VALID, and LONG RECORD bits.

READ DATA VALID indicates to the VMEGate 36 that the data in the DataBuffer holds the next record of the virtual tape. If READ DATA VALID isset when the Channel 34 issues a READ CCW, the VMEGate 36 will transferdata from the Data Buffer to the Channel 34. READ DATA VALID is set bythe SIHM when READING is set. ABORT and READ DATA VALID are clear when aSCSI command completes. READ DATA VALID is not set by the VIHM. READDATA VALID is cleared by the VIHM following a type 01h interrupt for aVMEGate READ CCW if the next record is not yet in the. Data Buffer. Ifthis occurs, the VIHM will present delayed Channel Command Retry unitstatus to the Channel 34 and set DEVICE END PENDING. If the COMMANDCOMPLETE is set, the VIHM will set up the next SCSI read, otherwise aSCSI read is IN PROCESS. In either case, the SIHM will set READ DATAVALID and present DEVICE END unit status to the Channel 34 once thecurrent SCSI read is complete. READ DATA VALID, is not cleared by theSIHM.

WRITE BUFFER READY, when set, indicates to the VMEGate 36 that the DataBuffer has room to hold the data from a WRITE CCW and that there is nodanger of an ongoing SCSI read overwriting that data. WRITE BUFFER READYis set initially when a virtual tape is mounted. WRITE BUFFER READY isset by the VIHM and the SIHM. It is cleared by the VMEGate 36 prior tointerrupting after a successful WRITE CCW. It is also cleared by theVIHM during READ and READ BACKWARD CCWs. If the VMEGate 36 receives aWRITE CCW and WRITE BUFFER READY is set, initial status of 00 ispresented to the Channel 34 and data is transferred into the DataBuffer. The VMEGate 36 then clears WRITE BUFFER READY beforeinterrupting. If WRITE BUFFER READY is clear, the VMEGate 36 willinterrupt and the VIHM makes a determination as to whether the DataBuffer is capable of being written to. If it is, WRITE BUFFER READY isset and immediate Channel Command Retry unit status is presented to theChannel 34. If the Data Buffer cannot be written to, in the case of INPROCESS SCSI reads or IN PROCESS SCSI writes, delayed Channel CommandRetry unit status is presented to the Channel 34 and DEVICE END PENDINGand ABORT. When WRITING is set and a SCSI command completes, the SIHMupdates data buffer and tape map entry pointers and then checks ifDEVICE END PENDING is set. If it is and the WRITE BUFFER READY is clear,the SIHM checks if there is room in the Data Buffer for a WRITE CCW. Ifthere is room, the SIHM 480-516 will set WRITE BUFFER READY and presentunit status of DEVICE END to the Channel 34. Similarly if READING andABORT are set, the SIHM will set WRITE BUFFER READY and present unitstatus of DEVICE END to the Channel 34.

PHYS EOT indicates to the VMEGate 36 that the tape has reached thePhysical EOT. This causes the VMEGate 36 to present appropriate statusto the Channel 34. PHYS EOT is set and cleared exclusively by the VIHMin response to tape motion CCWs. The determination is made during eachtape motion CCW and is valid for the next CCW.

LOG EOT indicates to the VMEGate 36 that the tape has reached theLogical EOT. This causes the VMEGate 36 to present appropriate status tothe Channel 34. LOG EOT is set and cleared exclusively by the VIHM inresponse to tape motion CCWs. The determination is made during each tapemotion CCW and is valid for the next CCW.

READ BKWD DATA VALID is set by the SBC 40 to indicate that the datapointed to by the DB-Channel-ptr is ready to be read by the VMEGate 36.Data begins at the location DB-Channel-ptr plus Channel-block-length.Data is passed to the Channel 34 in reverse order from the way it isstored in the Data Buffer, that is, the last byte to be transferred ispointed to by DB-Channel-ptr. The VMEGate 36 must interrupt the SBCafter Channel-block-length bytes have been transferred. The SBC 40 willthen either point to more data to be transferred as part of a LongRecord, if LONG RECORD is set, or present ending status. If the data forthe next READ CCW is in the Data Buffer, the SBC 40 will leave READ BKWDDATA VALID set. If the data is not yet available, READ BKWD DATA VALIDis cleared by the SBC 40.

The tape map entry pointers are used during the processing of SCSI readsand writes and READ and WRITE CCWs. The tape map entry pointers point tothe most recently accessed data records. The tape map entry pointers areof three type, TM-Channel-ptr, TM-SCSI-ptr, and TM-Marker. The VIHM isresponsible for the TM-Channel-ptr and the SIHM is responsible for theTM-SCSI-ptr. The TM-Marker is maintained by both the VIHM and the SIHM.The tape map entry pointers are made equal to each other and made topoint at the current virtual tape position following REWIND WRITE TAPEMARK, FORWARD SPACE BLOCK, FORWARD SPACE FILE, BACK SPACE BLOCK and BACKSPACE FILE CCWs. In this case, the VIHM performs a synchronize operationand sets the value of the tape map entry pointers.

During Write operations, the TM-Channel-ptr is ahead of the TM-SCSI-ptrand the TM-Marker is used to mark the difference between the two at theinitiation of SCSI writes. During Read operations, the TM-SCSI-ptr isahead of the TM-Channel-ptr and the TM-Marker is used to mark thedifference between the two at the initiation of SCSI reads.TM-Channel-ptr is used to keep track of the Channels position within thetape map 340. The TM-Channel-ptr moves through the tape map 340 oneentry at a time during READ and WRITE CCWs. The TM-Channel-ptr mayadvance several entries at a time during FORWARD SPACE FILE, BACK SPACEFILE, and LOCATE CCWs. During WRITE CCWs, the TM-Channel-ptr is pointinginto the tape map 340 at the next available tape map 340. This positionwill have an END OF TAPE MAP indicator in byte zero of the map data 348entry. The TM-Channel-ptr is incremented by the VIHM as part of theinterrupt for each WRITE CCW. Between DEVICE END presentation andinitial selection for successive READ CCWs, the TM-Channel-ptr points tothe record that the Channel 34 will read next. During READ CCWs, theTM-Channel-ptr points to the record that the Channel 34 is currentlyreading. The TM-Channel-ptr is incremented by the VIHM within theinterrupt for each READ CCW. The TM-Channel-ptr is decremented by theVIHM within the interrupt for each READ BACKWARD CCW. During READ andWRITE CCWs, the TM-Channel-ptr can be tested to see how far the Channel34 is through the tape map 340 when determining Physical and Logical EOTconditions.

The TM-SCSI-ptr points to the map data 348 entry at the point where theSCSI commands have left it. Unlike the TM-Channel-ptr, the TM-SCSI-ptrmay advance through the tape map 340 more than one entry at a timebecause a single SCSI read or write may encompass several records. Whena SCSI write completes, the SIHM updates the TM-SCSI-ptr to equal thevalue of the TM-Marker. In this case, the TM-SCSI-ptr will point to thefirst map data 348 entry that has not yet been written to the disk 20.This entry may be the END OF TAPE MAP entry if no WRITE CCWs occurredafter the initiation of the SCSI write that just completed. If theTM-SCSI-ptr does not equal the TM-Channel-ptr, then there is data in theData Buffer which remains to be written to the disk 20. When a SCSI readcompletes, the SIHM updates the TM-SCSI-ptr to equal the TM-Marker. TheTM-Marker is pointing to the first map data 348 entry after those whichhave just been read into the Data Buffer.

The TM-Marker is used as a marker in the tape map 340 in order to notewhat records have not been written to disk on SCSI writes and to keeptrack of records that have not been read into the Data Buffer on SCSIreads. When a READ CCW is received and COMMAND COMPLETE is set, the VIHMsets up the SCSI read. In this case, the VIHM will also set theTM-Marker to the first record which will not be part of the SCSI read.When the SCSI read is complete, and if there is room for another SCSIread in the Data Buffer, the SIHM will set up a look-ahead read and theTM-Marker will be adjusted by the SIHM. When a WRITE CCW is received,COMMAND COMPLETE is set and there is enough data in the Data Buffer tojustify a SCSI write, the VIHM will set up a SCSI write and set theTM-Marker to the current position of the TM-Channel-ptr. After the SCSIwrite, the SIHM will update the TM-SCSI-ptr to the value of theTM-Marker and, if there is enough unwritten data in the Data Buffer tojustify a subsequent SCSI write, the SIHM will set it up and againupdate the TM-Marker to the value of the TM-Channel-ptr.

The data buffer pointers are used to keep track of data in the DataBuffer. As with the tape map entry pointers, the data buffer pointersare DB-Channel-ptr, DB-SCSI-ptr and DB-Marker. The data buffer pointersare maintained by both the VIHM and the SIHM. The data buffer pointersare valid only during READ and WRITE CCWs unlike the tape map pointerswhich are valid at all times.

The DB-Channel-ptr is used to keep track of where data for the Channel34 is written to or read from. The DB-Channel-ptr is used by the VMEGate36. The DB-Channel-ptr is set by the VIHM. On WRITE CCWs, when WRITEBUFFER READY is set, the DB-Channel-ptr points to the position in theData Buffer where the data from the next WRITE CCW is to be stored. OnREAD CCWs, when READ DATA VALID is set, the DB-Channel-ptr points to theposition in the Data Buffer where the next record to be read is stored.

The DB-SCSI-ptr is used by the VIHM and the SIHM to indicate where tostore SCSI read data and where to start SCSI writes. It is set by theVIHM and the SIHM. On SCSI writes, the DB-SCSI-ptr points to the startof sequential data which has not yet been written to disk. After theSCSI writes have completed, the SIHM updates the DB-SCSI-ptr to thevalue of the DB-Marker indicating that all the data between the two hasbeen written to disk. When the DB-SCSI-ptr is equal to theDB-Channel-ptr, there is no data in the Data Buffer which has not beenwritten to disk.

On SCSI reads, the DB-SCSI-ptr points to the start of the location inthe Data Buffer where data is going to be placed. That is, the SCSI readdata is stored starting at the DB-SCSI-ptr. When the SCSI read iscomplete, the SIHM updates the DB-SCSI-ptr to point to the first DataBuffer location that does not contain valid data. If there is not enoughroom in the Data Buffer for the next SCSI read, the DB-SCSI-ptr is setto the beginning of the Data Buffer.

The DB-Marker is used for SCSI writes only. The DB-Marker is used tostore the position where the DB-Channel-ptr was at the start of a SCSIwrite. In this way, even if the DB-Channel-ptr has advanced while theSCSI write was occurring, the SIHM will know where to update theDB-SCSI-ptr upon completion of the SCSI write.

The Channel-block-length is used to communicate between the VMEGate 36and the VIHM. After WRITE CCWs, the Channel-block-length is set by theVMEGate 36 to the length of the record just written. The VIHM then movesthis value into the block length 354 of the map data 348 entry pointedto by the TM-Channel-ptr. Prior to a READ CCW, the Channel-block-lengthholds the length of the record to be transferred. The VIHM moves thisvalue from the block length 354 of the Tape Map entry pointed to by theTM-Channel-ptr to the Channel-block-length before setting READ DATAVALID.

The SCSI-Length is used to calculate the number of bytes which are to betransferred over the SCSI bus. The SCSI-Length is calculated by eitherthe VIHM or the SIHM depending on which one is setting up the next SCSIread or write. The length to be placed in the SCSI Command Descriptorblock for the SCSI write is the SCSI-Length shifted to the right tenbits, i.e. divided by 1K. On SCSI writes, the SCSI-Length is calculatedby adding the block length 354 from each map data 348 entry between theTM-SCSI-ptr and the TM-Marker. Each block length 354 is rounded up tothe next even value before the addition to take account of the VMEGateword transfer requirements. The SCSI-Length is then rounded to the next1K byte boundary. On SCSI reads, the SCSI-Length is calculated by addingthe block length 354 of successive records. Successive means that theabsolute address of a record of one map data 348 entry is equal to theabsolute address of the record of the previous entry plus the blocklength 354 of the previous entry rounded to the next even value. As withthe SCSI writes, all block lengths 354 are rounded to the next evenvalue.

The Cumulative-Length variable is used to keep track of the overalllength of the virtual tape. Each time a map data 348 entry is passed,the block length 354 of that entry 384 is added to the Cumulative-Lengthand a fixed value is added to account for the interblock gap which isapproximately four kilo bytes. The Cumulative-Length is added to orsubtracted from every time the TM-Channel-ptr is changed. The VIHMperforms this function.

The Phys-Max-Tape-Length is a constant that is entered by the user whena virtual tape is created. The number represents the maximum amount ofdata, in bytes, including simulated IBGs that a virtual tape can hold.This number is loaded from the tape directory by the keypress module600-660 when a virtual tape is mounted. The Log-Max-Tape-Length iscalculated by subtracting a fixed fraction, e.g. one percent, from thePhys-Max-Tape-Length. Thus, if the Phys-Max-Tape-Length was two-hundredmega bytes, the Log-Max-Tape-Length would be two-hundred minustwo-hundred multiplied by one percent, that is,one-hundred-and-ninty-eight mega bytes. The Phys-Max-Tape-Length andLog-Max-Tape-Length are compared to the Cumulative-Length by the VIHM toset and clear the PHYS EOT and LOG EOT bits.

The Next-LBA variable keeps track of the first unwritten LBA on thedisk. This number is stored in the tape directory as a continuationpointer 326 and is moved into the Channel Address Buffer by the keypressmodule when a disk is Logically Loaded. The Next-LBA is checked todetermine whether there is any more room on the disk are made. TheNext-LBA is maintained by the SIHM which adds the length of SCSI writesto the Next-LBA. Skips are not added to the Next-LBA during SCSI writesof virtual tape data. At certain points, the Next-LBA is adjusted toequal the value of the next physical block address. When the tape map340 is written to disk, the location it is written to is the nextphysical block address and the Next-LBA is updated accordingly. When theNext-LBA is inserted in the tape directory prior to being written backto the disk 20 by the keypress module the value is adjusted to the nextunwritten physical block address.

SCSI Block Buffers

The SBB is a structure which is used to initiate and execute SCSIactivity. SBC software writes into the SBB. There are sixteen SBBsavailable, one for each of the drives 16. When an optical drive 16 isLogically Ready, only the VIHM and the SIHM may set up SCSI activitiesby writing into its SBB. When an optical drive is Logically Not Ready,only the keypress module may use its SBB.

The floppy disk drive 50 and the hard disk drive 52 are controlled overthe SCSI bus 17a and use similar SBBs independent of whether the opticaldisk drives 16 are controlled by either the SCSI bus 17b though the SCSIboard 42 or just the SCSI port 17a when the SCSI board 42 is not used.The QIHM is the only module which may use the floppy drive SBB. This mayoccur at any time. The OIHM 520-546 and the SIHM 480-516 both use theother SBBs to keep track of their activities.

The first six bytes of the SBB constitute a SCSI Command DescriptorBlock. These bytes are sent to the SCSI device during the Command Phaseof the SCSI transfer. The command byte of the SBB is the actual SCSIcommand that is to be issued, e.g. 03 for Request Sense. The next threebytes, LBA-msb, LBA-mid and LBA-lsb, have various meanings depending onthe value of the command byte. In most cases, however, there contentsare the LBA that the command refers to. For some commands, the namesLBA-msb, mid, and lsb may be a misnomer. The fifth byte of the SBB isthe length. For most commands, the fifth byte characterizes the lengthof the Data Phase of the SCSI transfer. This is not always the case.Sometimes the name, length, may be inappropriate. The last byte of theCommand Descriptor Block is the terminator byte, which will always bezero.

The SCSI-GO-flag is used to inform higher level interrupts that the OIHMis currently servicing the device whose SCSI-GO-flag is set. In a fewinstances, particularly during look-ahead SCSI reads, the VIHM maycancel a SCSI command before it is executed, while COMMAND PENDING isset. If the SCSI-GO-flag is zero, COMMAND PENDING may be changed toCOMMAND COMPLETE and the SCSI activity will not be executed. When theSCSI-GO-flag is set, changing the COMMAND PENDING to COMMAND COMPLETEmay not stop the command.

The SCSI-flag-word is used to determine when a command is ready to beissued, when it is being worked on, and when it has completed. TheSCSI-flag-word includes, COMMAND PENDING, IN PROCESS, COMMAND COMPLETEand ERROR.

COMMAND PENDING, when set, indicates to the OIHM that a SCSI command hasbeen set up and is waiting to be issued. The OIHM sets the SCSI-GO-flagand then tests the SCSI-flag-word. If it detects COMMAND PENDING set,the OIHM sets IN PROCESS and begin arbitrating for the SCSI bus.

If the SCSI Board 42 is not used, the OIHM will transfer the CommandDescriptor Block to the SCSI device under DMA and the SCSI-GO-flag isthen cleared. Upon completion of the transfer, the SIHM will beactivated and command processing will continue. The IN PROCESS bit isset when arbitration for the SCSI bus begins when without a SCSI board42 or upon initiation of the command in the SCSI board 42 when the board42 is used. Throughout the SCSI command, IN PROCESS remains set. INPROCESS indicates to other routines that there is a SCSI command issuedto the device associated with the CAB that has not yet been completed.When the SCSI device presents a message of COMMAND COMPLETE, the SIHMchange the SCSI-flag-word from IN PROCESS to COMMAND COMPLETE. Thisindicates to the calling routine that the SCSI-status byte is valid andthat the OIHM can start another command to that device.

The SCSI-sense-data buffer is a sixteen byte buffer and is used to holdthe data received during a Request Sense command. This command is issuedso often that a permanent storage location is provided for it. In thisway, more than one routine may access a known location for informationon the state of the SCSI device.

The current-SCSI-DB-ptr is a pointer into memory that indicates wherethe data is to be stored during Data In Phase or where the data is tocome from during Data Out Phase. The module which initiates the SCSIcommand sets up this value initially and the SIHM maintains its valuebetween disconnection and reconnection. In this way, the pointer isalways valid, pointing to the next byte to be transferred or the firstbyte not yet read in.

The SCSI-status byte has the value passed from the SCSI device to MOSTduring the Status Phase. The values of this byte are typically GOODSTATUS, CHECK CONDITION, and CONDITION MET.

When the SCSI board 42 is not used, a cmd-flag is set by the OIHM whichindicates to the SIHM that a DMA interrupt which activated it came fromthe completion of a Command Phase rather than the completion of a DataIn Phase or a Data Out Phase. Knowing this, the SIHM will not over storethe current-SCSI-DB-ptr with the value of the last address in theCommand Descriptor Block.

The SCSI-sense-flag is set by the SIHM routine when a command iscomplete and READING or WRITING is set and when the command returnedCHECK. CONDITION in the SCSI-status byte. The SIHM issues sensecommands. The SCSI-sense-flag is set so that sense commands are nottreated as normal SCSI read or SCSI write commands when the commandcompletes and the SIHM is reactivated.

Data Buffers

The cache memory 38 is primarily used as a Data Buffer for transferringdata between the channel 34 and the optical drives 16. Data for READCCWs and WRITE CCWs are stored in the Data Buffers. There is one DataBuffer for each valid Channel Address and several more which areavailable for use by any Channel Address. It is the responsibility ofthe SBC 40 to allocate Data Buffers to Channel Addresses. Prior toreading or writing data between the VMEGate 36 and the channel, theVMEGate 36 will access the DB-flag-word for the Channel Address andensure that Read Data is Valid or that the Write Buffer is Ready. Datais transferred into the buffer starting at the location pointed to bythe DB-Channel-ptr and continues for the length specified by theChannel-block-length. These variables are found in fixed locations inthe CABs.

Interrupt Communication Buffer

The Interrupt Communication Buffer (ICB) is used by the VMEGate 36 tostore information regarding specific status conditions which requireimmediate action by the SBC 40. The ICB buffer is first loaded by theVMEGate 36 just prior to issuing a VME bus interrupt. The informationcontained in this buffer will describe the type of interrupt, statusflags to identify the particular condition and the I/O address of thedevice which was being serviced when this condition occurred.

The ICB allows the VMEGate 36 to place into system memory the data whichwill allow the SBC software to determine the event which resulted in theinterrupt and perform the proper actions to process the interrupt. Thedata to be written into the ICB is as follows: Word one MSB equalsInterrupt Type; Word one LSB equals Sub Category; Word two MSB equalsDevice Address; Word two LSB equals Error Code.

The Interrupt type codes and associated Sub Category Codes are definedby Interrupt Type code and Sub Category Code. 01h is the Channel Commandand Channel Command Code. The defined error codes for a Type 01hInterrupt are as follows: 01h equals Tape Write Immediate Mode for 01hChannel Command Code only; 02h equals Long Write for 01h Channel CommandCode only. 02h is the Channel Exception and Channel Command Code. TheDefined Error Codes for a Type 02 Interrupt are as follows: 01h equalsSystem Reset; 02h equals Selective Reset; 03h equals InterfaceDisconnect. 04h is the VMEGate Exception and Channel Command Code. Aninterrupt type 04 will be generated when the VMEGate 36 detects an errorwhile testing specified conditions for a channel command. If an errorcondition is detected, the error will be reflected in the Error Code.The Defined Error Codes for a Type 04 Interrupt are as follows: 01hequals Command Reject; 02h equals File Protected; 03h equals SupervisorInhibit; 04h equals Retry; 05h equals Logical End of Tape (EOT); 06hequals Drive not ready/offline; 07h equals Overrun; and 08h equals BusOut Parity Error.

Initialization Buffer

The Initialization Buffer contains information which is required by theVMEGate 36 before an Online command can be issued. The informationcontained in this buffer is as follows: VME bus address modifier codewhich is one word; eight bit interrupt vector which is one word; Pointerto VMEGate Command Status Word which pointer is two words; Pointer toVMEGate Ending Status Word which pointer is two words; Pointer toVMEGate Interrupt Communication Buffer which pointer is two words; andPointer to Command Validator Buffer which pointer is two words.

Command Buffers

The VMEGate Command Status Word is a single word buffer in SBC memorywhich is used by the VMEGate 36 to inform the SBC 40 that the VMEGate 36is busy processing the last command. When the SBC 40 issues a command tothe VMEGate 36, it must first read the VMEGate Command Status Word toinsure that it contains a 0000h. If so, the SBC 40 will write a 0001hinto the VMEGate Command Status Word and then write the desired commandcode into the VMEGate Command Register. If the VMEGate Command StatusWord does not contain 0000h, it indicates that the VMEGate 36 is stillbusy processing the last SBC command. When the VMEGate 36 completesexecution, the VMEGate 36 will reset the Command Status Word.

The Command Validator Buffer is two-hundred-fifty-six bytes, is locatedin SBC memory and is a buffer for storing valid commands from thechannel 34. The Command Validator Buffer is downloaded into the CVM 126,so that the VMEGate 36 can determine if a channel command is valid ornot. SBC Status Buffer is located in SBC memory, is four bytes and is abuffer for storing SBC status, device address and unit status which ischannel status to be returned to the channel 34. Sense ID Buffer islocated in SBC memory, is fourteen bytes with seven bytes used at atime, and it stores sense identification strings.

VMEGate Initialization

The software interface between the SBC 40 and VMEGate includes themethod of passing commands, data, and status between the SBC 40 and theVMEGate 36. The software interface utilizes the VMEGate START/STATUS andCOMMAND registers to control the actions and determine the status of theVMEGate 36. The thirty-two kilo bytes of VME address space allocated tothe VMEGate 36 are established by jumpers installed on the VMEGateInterface board. These jumpers establish the BASE for accessing VMEGateregisters and memory.

The BASE is E30000 for the first VMEGate 36 and E38000 for a secondVMEGate 36 when a dual channel interface is installed. The value of theBASE must be incorporated in the SBC software which communicates withthe VMEGate 36. The START/STATUS register is accessed via VME addressBASE plus six, while the COMMAND register is accessed via VME addressBASE plus E. The VMEGate microprogram, downloaded by the SBC 40,responds to the VMEGate commands as well as channel interface sequencesand channel commands.

Data, status, and control information associated with commands andsequences reside in system memory accessible to both the SBC 40 andVMEGate 36. The pointers to these locations are passed to the VMEGate 36during the initialization process. System memory refers to the SBCmemory and the cache memory 38. Data bytes transmitted from the VMEGate36 to the cache memory 38 are organized as follows: cache memorylocation xxxx for first byte bits fifteen to eight and second byte bitsseven to zero; cache memory location xxxx plus two for third byte bitsfifteen to eight and forth byte bits seven to zero; cache memorylocation xxxx plus four for fifth byte bits fifteen to eight and sixthbyte bits seven to zero; etc. Data transmitted to the VMEGate 36 fromcache memory 38 is in this same order. Bit fifteen is the mostsignificant bit whereas bit zero is the least significant bit.

In connection with address pointers, all data passed from the SBC 40 toone of the VMEGate communication areas, where the communication areafunctions as a VME bus address pointer, is in the following format:location xx has zero-zero in bits fifteen to eight and addresstwenty-three to sixteen in bits seven to zero, location xx plus two hasaddress fifteen to eight in bits fifteen to eight and address seven tozero in bits seven to zero.

In order for the VMEGate 36 to use these address pointers, the VMEGate36 will shift the entire word down one bit towards the LSB. Aftershifting, the VMEGate 36 will mask the uppermost byte with an addressmodifier. The address modifier shall be 39h when accessing data insingle word transfers and shall be 3Bh when accessing data in block modeacross the VME bus 46.

During the Power-on sequence or a recovery sequence, the SBC Softwarewill download the microprogram to the WCS 80. The SBC software ensuresthat the clock generator 78 is stopped by writing 00h to theSTART/STATUS register, BASE plus six. Upon power up, the VMEGate 36 isstopped and in the offline mode. If the contents of STATUS equalsXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX1B, the VMEGate 36 is stopped and microprogram isdownloaded. The microprogram is loaded by setting "Address" to BASEwhere BASE is the address of WCS selected by VMEGate jumpers, opening amicroprogram file, and reading words from the file, until end of file.The SBC then verifies the download by rereading the file and comparingthe data to the WCS 80.

The use of the START/STATUS register is limited to stopping the clockgenerator 78, activating the VMEGate 36, and checking status. Stoppingthe clock generator 78 of the VMEGate 36 allows access to the WCS 80.This is done by the a write 0000h to BASE plus six. The clock generator78 should only be stopped if the VMEGate 36 has been placed in theoffline mode. Activating the VMEGate 36 is done by starting the clockgenerator 78. This is done by a write 0001h to BASE plus six.Determining the status of the VMEGate 36 is done by a read status fromBASE plus six. If the contents of status equals XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX1B, theVMEGate 36 is stopped and microprogram download may proceed. If thecontents of status equals XXXXXXXXXXXXXX10B, the VMEGate 36 is activewith no VMEGate fail condition. If the contents of status equalsXXXXXXXXXXXXXX00B, the VMEGate 36 is active with a VMEGate failcondition.

During initialization, two pointers and a word value are passed to theVMEGate 36. The first pointers points to a block of parameters common toall channel addresses while the second pointer points to the baseChannel Address Buffer. The word value is the length of a single ChannelAddress Buffer. From these last two values, the VMEGate 36 calculatesthe location of all sixteen CABs. The pointers and parameter contents,in initialization order, are: A pointer to the common interfaceparameter block; A pointer to the CAB for the First Valid ChannelAddress with the device address being Base Device Address plus 00h andwith the Base Device Address determined by the first valid address inthe CVM 126; A word length value which is the length of a single CAB; Aword containing the VME bus address modifier bits, in the MSB, and theinterrupt number, in the LSB, in location x plus 00h; The VMEGateCommand Status Word in location x plus 02h; The SBC Present Status Wordin location x plus 04h; The SBC Status Buffer in location x plus 06h;The VMEGate ICB in location x plus 10h; The VMEGate Command ValidatorBuffer in location x plus 14h; and the "3480" SENSE ID Buffer inlocation x plus 270h which contains fourteen bytes of hex data,FF348022348022FF348022000000. The first seven bytes of the Sense IDBuffer will be returned if the drive 16 is present while the secondseven bytes will be returned if the drive 16 is not present. Present isdetermined by bits in the CVM. Location x is the addresses passed in thefirst pointer.

After microprogram validity is verified, the clock generator 78 isstarted and the VMEGate 36 is initialized. This is accomplished by thefollowing steps: Obtain the Channel addresses to which the VMEGate 36 isto respond and write them in to the high byte of each pointer toparameters for a Valid Channel Address; Start the VMEGate microprogramby writing 0001h to BASE plus six then waiting five milliseconds andtesting the STATUS register at BASE plus six to ensure that the clockwas started without an error condition. If the contents of STATUS equalsXXXXXXXXXXXXXX10B, the VMEGate 36 is active with no VMEGate failcondition and initialization may proceed; Set the Busy Flag in theCommand Status Word and Write the INITIALIZE command and theinitialization parameters to BASE plus Eh; Wait at least twomilliseconds then check that the Busy Flag in the Command Status Wordhas been reset and that the STATUS register does not indicate an errorcondition; and Downloading and verifying the CVM 126 prior to placingthe VMEGate 36 online. Before executing the DOWN LOAD CVM command, theSBC software will read the Command Validator file into an array and setthe valid address bit in each byte corresponding to a valid channeladdress. The SBC software will also set the Not Present bit in each bytecorresponding to a valid channel address if the drive is logically NotPresent.

The CVM 126 is loaded and verified using the following sequence ofOperations. The modified data from the Command Validator file is copiedinto the Command Validator Buffer. The Busy bit is set in the VMEGateCommand Status Word. The DOWN LOAD CVM command is written to BASE plus Ethen waiting at least two milliseconds before checking for completion ofthe download. The Busy Flag is set in the Command Status Word. The UPLOAD CVM command is written to BASE plus E then waiting at least twomilliseconds before checking for completion of the upload. Properloading is verified by comparing the data in the Command ValidatorBuffer with the modified data from the Command Validator File. At thistime, the SBC 40 reads the VMEGate status buffer to ensure correctinitialization. If STATUS contents equals XXXXXXXXXXXXXX10B, the VMEGate36 is successfully initialized and the SBC 40 may issue the Onlinecommand.

A System Reset occurs upon depression of a reset button, not shown. Alldevices are affected by a system reset. The SBC 40 will reset the SetSense Path Group ID Buffer, the Assign and Unassign Buffers, the ControlAccess Buffer; and the Sense Byte Buffer. All data in the Data Buffersintended for writing will be written to disk. When the process iscomplete, the SBC 40 will issue a System Reset Ready command to theVMEGate 36. With Selective Reset, only the specified device is affectedby a selective reset. The SBC 40 will reset the Sense Byte Buffer. Ifthere is any data in the Data Buffers to be written to disk, this willbe done. The drive will remain busy until this is finished. Once this iscompleted, the SBC 40 will issue a Selective Reset Ready command to theVMEGate 36. When an Interface Disconnect occurs, the VMEGate 36 willinterrupt the SBC 40. The SBC 40 will halt continuing operations andpresent appropriate ending status.

When a channel interface sequence indicates System Reset, SelectiveReset, or Disconnect, the VMEGate 36 will write the data for a type 02hinterrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40 for appropriate action.The action to be taken will depend on the processing state when theinterrupt occurs. The SBC 40 is responsible for setting and clearing allSense bytes based on the error codes presented during VMEGate type 04interrupts and on the internal state of MOST.

VMEGate Commands

The VMEGate Command Status Word is used to synchronize the issuance ofVMEGate commands by the SBC 40 and the command completion, reissue, orfailure by the VMEGate 36. The VMEGate Command Status Word bitdefinitions are that bit zero is the busy flag and is set by the SBC 40when a VMEGate command has been issued, and, bit zero is reset by theVMEGate 36 when another VMEGate command may be issued, that bit one isset by the VMEGate during the Reissue of the previous VMEGate Command,and that bit three is set by the VMEGate 36 when a command or diagnostictest failed.

Once the VMEGate 36 interprets a command, it clears the busy flag in theVMEGate Command Status Word. It may also set either the Reissue Commandbit or the Command Failed bit in the VMEGate Command Status Word. TheCommand Failed bit is set if the VMEGate 36 was not in the requiredstate when a VMEGate command was issued. The Reissue Command bit is setif there is a detection of an Initial Selection sequence from thechannel to another device at the same time. The channel command hashigher priority in this case and the VMEGate 36 informs the SBC 40 thatit must reissue the command when the VMEGate 36 is not busy with thechannel. The Commands required to direct the VMEGate 36 in responding toChannel Interface Sequences and Channel commands are INITIALIZE,DIAGNOSTIC, DOWN LOAD CVM, UP LOAD CVM, PRESENT STATUS, ONLINE, OFFLINE,GO NOT READY, INTERRUPT PROCESSED, GO READY, BUFFER READY, SELECTIVERESET READY, SYSTEM RESET READY, and DEFERRED UNIT CHECK.

The INITIALIZE, 0000h, is the first VMEGate command to be executed afterthe clock generator 78 is started. This command allows the pointers tobe transferred to VMEGate memory according to the algorithm defined forthe parameter and common interface block pointer description with arequirement that the VMEGate 36 be offline.

The DIAGNOSTIC, 0001h, command is a go no-go test of the VMEGate 36 anda required state is that the VMEGate 36 be offline.

The DOWNLOAD COMMAND VALIDATOR MEMORY, 0002h, command allows the VMEGate36 to transfer data from the Command Validator Buffer into the CVM 126with a required VMEGate offline state. The sequence to be followed forthis command is that the SBC 40 makes sure that the Busy flag in theCommand Status Word indicates a successful completion of the lastcommand, that the SBC 40 sets the Busy flag in the Command Status Wordand writes the command code of the DOWN LOAD CVM into the VMEGateCommand/Data Register, and that the VMEGate 36 reads the data file fromthe Command Validator Buffer. The data file is transferred as words andplaced in byte order in the CVM. The MSB of each word is written intoCVM 126 followed by the LSB.

The UPLOAD COMMAND VALIDATOR MEMORY, 0004h, command is similar to theDOWN LOAD CVM command except it transfers the contents of the CVM intoCommand Validator buffer for verification of the download with arequired VMEGate offline state.

The PRESENT STATUS, 0008h, command is used to send status and thechannel address. The required status is written into the Present StatusWord, then the command code for PRESENT STATUS is written into theVMEGate command register. The status is in the LSB of the word while thechannel address is in the MSB of the word. Before presenting statuswhich includes Unit Check set, the SBC 40 must prepare Sense data whichsupports the Unit Check indication. The required state of the VMEGate 36is online and device ready.

The ONLINE, 0010h and 0011h, commands are for online and is to bewritten into the VMEGate Command Register. The VMEGate 36 will respondto the initial selection sequences for those channel addresses definedas valid by the bits set in the CVM. A command of 10h implies that theVMEGate 36 is to respond as a 3480 Tape Drive. The required state of theVMEGate 36 is offline.

The OFFLINE, 0020h, command is for offline and is written into theVMEGate Command Register. The VMEGate 36 will no longer respond to theinitial selection sequences for those channel addresses defined as validby the bits set in the CVM. The required state for the VMEGate 36 isonline and all devices not-ready.

GO NOT READY, 0040h, command informs the VMEGate 36 that a drive isLogically Not Ready. This happens when the Ready/Not Ready switch ismoved to the Not Ready position. When this happens, the VMEGate 36responds differently to many CCWs. The device to be made Not Ready isspecified in the SBC Present Status Word.

The INTERRUPT PROCESSED, 0080h, command is issued when a VMEGateinterrupt has been processed and the SBC 40 is prepared to acceptanother VMEGate interrupt. Before the command is issued, the SBC statusbuffer must be updated. The SBC status is in the first word of thebuffer while the channel address and ending status is in the second wordof the buffer. The status is in the LSB of the word while the channeladdress is in the MSB of the word. The required state of the VMEGate 36is online. The definitions of the SBC status bits are that the bits zeroand four to fifteen are reserved, bit one is Sense Ready, bit two is NoStatus to be presented, and bit three is Buffered Log Overflow.

The GO READY, 0100h, command instructs the VMEGate 36 to make ready thedevice specified in the Present Status Word. If the device address wasprimed, the VMEGate 36 will present status of 85h. This command iscalled when the Ready/Not Ready switch is in the Ready position, a tapeis mounted in the Drive, and the control unit is online. If a tape thatis being made Ready is file protected, the SBC 40 sets the PresentStatus Word to one. Otherwise, the Present Status Word is cleared tozero.

The BUFFER READY, 0200h, command is used when a long record isencountered on a READ CCW or a WRITE CCW and the VMEGate 36 interruptsbefore the read data is completed or when there is no buffer availablefor the next write data. The SBC 40 will issue Interrupt Processed withno Data Buffer ready. When a Data Buffer becomes available, this commandis issued. If this command is rejected, that means that the buffer is nolonger needed and an interrupt for a channel exception will occur. Therequired state of the VMEGate 36 is online.

The SELECTIVE RESET READY, 04xxh, command resets a busy device to ready.Following a Selective Reset, the device will remain BUSY until theSELECTIVE RESET READY command is received by the VMEGate 36. The xxdevice is overwritten with the Channel Address that was reset.

The SYSTEM RESET READY, 0800h, command resets all devices. Following aSystem Reset, all devices will remain BUSY until the SYSTEM RESET READYcommand is received by the VMEGate 36.

The DEFERRED UNIT CHECK, 10xxh, command causes the VMEGate 36 to presentUnit Check status to the next Channel sequence presented to ChannelAddress xx. This command is used when errors occur writing data to theoptical disks after DEVICE END has been presented for the WRITE CCW.

Channel Commands

The SBC 40 and the VMEGate 36 together execute standard checks andsequences for the defined channel commands words. There is sequencecommon to all of the channel commands. Any supervisor inhibit due to aMode Set Command will be reset at any ending sequence which does notindicate command chaining. The VMEGate 36 will respond to the block ofaddresses X0 through XF. The response of those valid addresses with theNOT PRESENT bit set will be controlled via the CVM 126 for thoseaddresses.

The ASSIGN, B7h, command invokes a sequence of events upon receipt asfollows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition that theSupervisor Command Inhibit bit is set. If so, the VMEGate 36 sets UnitCheck bit of the channel status byte. The error code is set toSupervisor Inhibit. If the error is detected, the VMEGate 36 willpresent 02h initial status, disconnect from the channel, then write thedata for a type 04h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. Ifno error was detected, the VMEGate 36 will present initial status of00h, transfer up to eleven bytes of data into the assign buffer. TheVMEGate 36 tests an error condition that the drive is not operational oroffline. If an error, the Unit Check bit is set. The error code is setto not ready/offline. The VMEGate tests an error condition that fewerthan eleven bytes were transferred. If this error is detected, then theUnit Check bit is set and the error code is set to Command Reject. Ifeither error is detected, then the VMEGate 36 will write the data for atype 04h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If no errorcondition is detected, the VMEGate 36 will write the data for a type 01hinterrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40; ii) When the SBC 40receives a type 04h interrupt, the SBC 40 will check the error code. Ifthe error code is Supervisor Inhibit, the SBC 40 will update the sensebyte buffer, write 0006h into the SBC status buffer, and issue theInterrupt Processed command. Otherwise the SBC 40 will write 0000h intothe SBC status buffer, set the status byte to 0Eh, issue the InterruptProcessed command, and then update the sense byte buffer; iii) When theSBC 40 receives a type 01h interrupt, the SBC 40 will compare the first11 bytes of the assign buffer to the path group ID buffer. If they arenot identical, the SBC 40 will write 0000h into the SBC status buffer,set the status byte to 0Eh, issue the Interrupt Processed command, andthen update the sense byte buffer. If they are identical, The SBC 40will write 0000h into the SBC status buffer, set the status byte to 0Ch,and then issue the Interrupt Processed command; and iv) The VMEGate 36will present to the channel the status associated with the InterruptProcessed command.

The BACK SPACE BLOCK, 27h, command invokes a sequence of events uponreceipt as follows: i) The VMEGate tests for an error condition that thedrive is not ready or offline. If an error is detected, the Unit Checkbit is set and the error code is set to not ready/offline. If the erroris detected, the VMEGate 36 will present 02h initial status, disconnectfrom the channel, and then write the data for a type 04h interrupt intothe ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If an error was not detected, theVMEGate 36 will present initial status of 08h, then write the data for atype 01h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40; ii) When theSBC 40 receives a type 04h interrupt, the SBC 40 will update the sensebyte buffer, write 0006h into the SBC status buffer, then issue theInterrupt Processed command; iii) When the SBC 40 receives a type 01hinterrupt, the SBC 40 will test to see if a SCSI Write to the opticaldrive is occurring. If it is, the SBC 40 will set up the SCSI Writes toflush the buffer, and set SYNCHRONIZE and DEVICE END PENDING. The SBC 40then sets the SBC status buffer to 0004 and issues interrupt processed.When the SIHM write completes, the tape map entry pointers will beadjusted and Device End is presented through a Present Status command.If a SCSI Write is not occurring, the SBC 40 tests for SCSI Reads. If aSCSI Read is occurring, the SBC 40 sets ABORT and DEVICE END PENDING.When the SIHM write completes, the tape map entry pointers will beadjusted and Device End is presented. The SBC 40 then sets the SBCstatus buffer to 004 and issues interrupt processed. If neither a SCSIwrite or read is occurring, the SBC 40 subtracts one from theTM-Channel-ptr and the TM-SCSI-ptr, and test BOT or PHYS EOT, TM. If BOTor PHYS EOT is encountered prior to adjustment of tape map entrypointers, the SBC sets the channel status byte to 26h and updates thesense byte buffer. The SBC 40 will then write 0002h into the SBC statusbuffer and then issue the Interrupt Processed command. If a tape mark isencountered, the SBC 40 sets the channel status byte to 25h and sets thetape mark bit in the Drive Status Word. The SBC 40 will then write 0000hinto the SBC status buffer and then issue the Interrupt Processedcommand. If neither BOT or PHYS EOT or tape mark is encountered, that isno error condition exists, the SBC 40 sets the channel status byte to04h. The SBC 40 will write 0000h into the SBC status buffer and thenissue the Interrupt Processed command; and iv) The VMEGate 36 willpresent to the channel the status associated with the InterruptProcessed command.

The BACKSPACE FILE, 2Fh, command invokes a sequence of events uponreceipt as follows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition thatthe drive is not ready or offline. If so, the VMEGate 36 sets the UnitCheck bit and sets the error code to not ready/offline. If the error isdetected, the VMEGate 36 will present 02h initial status, disconnectfrom the channel, then write the data for a type 04h interrupt into theICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If the error is not detected, the VMEGate36 will present initial status of 08h, set control unit busy, then writethe data for a type 01h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40;ii) When the SBC 40 receives a type 04h interrupt, the SBC 40 willupdate the sense byte buffer, write 0006h into the SBC status buffer andthen issue the Interrupt Processed command; iii) When the SBC 40receives a type 01h interrupt, the SBC 40 will test to see if a Write tothe optical drive is occurring. If it is, the SBC 40 will set up theSCSI Writes to flush the buffer and set SYNCHRONIZE and DEVICE ENDPENDING. The SBC 40 then sets the SBC status buffer to 0004 and issuesinterrupt processed. When the SIHM write completes, the tape map entrypointers will be adjusted and Device End is presented via a PresentStatus command. If a SCSI Write is not occurring, the SBC 40 tests forSCSI Reads. If a SCSI Read is occurring, the SBC 40 sets ABORT andDEVICE END PENDING. The SBC 40 then sets the SBC status buffer to 0004and issues interrupt processed. When the SIHM write completes, the tapemap entry pointers will be adjusted and Device End presented via aPresent Status command. If the SCSI is not being written to or readfrom, the SBC 40 subtracts one from the TM-Channel-ptr and theTM-SCSI-ptr until they are pointing to a tape mark entry. Then the SBCtests for an error that BOT or PHYS EOT occurred prior to adjustment oftape map entry pointers. If so the SBC 40 sets the channel status byteto 26h and updates the sense byte buffer. The SBC 40 will then write0002h into the SBC status buffer and then issue the Interrupt Processedcommand. If no error condition exists, the SBC sets the channel statusbyte to 04h. The SBC 40 will then write 0000h into the SBC status bufferand then issue the Interrupt Processed command; and iv) The VMEGate 36will present to the channel the status associated with the InterruptProcessed command.

The CONTROL ACCESS, E3h command invokes a sequence of events uponreceipt as follows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition thatthe Supervisor Command Inhibit bit is set. If so, the VMEGate sets UnitCheck bit and sets the error code to Supervisor Inhibit. If the error isdetected, the VMEGate 36 will present 02h initial status, disconnectfrom the channel, then write the data for a type 04h interrupt into theICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If the error was not detected, the VMEGate36 will present initial status of 00h, transfer up to twelve bytes ofdata into the control access buffer. Then the VMEGate 36 tests for anerror condition that fewer than twelve bytes were transferred. If thiserror was detected, the VMEGate 36 sets the Unit Check bit and sets theerror code to Command Reject. The VMEGate 36 also tests for an errorcondition that byte zero is not 00h, 01h, 02h, 40h or 80h. If this erroris detected, then the VMEGate 36 sets the Unit Check bit and sets theerror code to Command Reject. The VMEGate 36 also tests for errorcondition that byte zero is 01h or 02h and byte one is not 01h or 02hand tests that bytes two and three are not 0200h. If this error isdetected, the VMEGate 36 sets the Unit Check bit and sets the error codeto Command Reject. The VMEGate 36 also tests for an error condition thatbyte zero is not 40h and bytes one through eleven are zero. If thiserror is detected, the VMEGate 36 sets the Unit Check bit and sets errorcode to Command Reject; ii) If an error condition is detected, theVMEGate 36 will write the data for a type 04h interrupt into the ICB andinterrupt the SBC 40; iii) If no error condition is detected, theVMEGate 36 will write the data for a type 01h interrupt into the ICB andinterrupt the SBC 40; iv) When the SBC 40 receives a type 04h interrupt,the SBC 40 will check the Error code. If the Error code is set toSupervisor Inhibit, the SBC 40 will update the sense byte buffer, write0006h into the SBC status buffer, and issue the Interrupt Processedcommand. If the error code is not set to Supervisor Inhibit, the SBC 40will write 0000h into the SBC status buffer, set the status byte to 0Eh,issue the Interrupt Processed command and then update the sense bytebuffer; v) When the SBC 40 receives a type 01h interrupt, the SBC 40will test to determine if byte zero is 40h or 80h, and if the controlaccess buffer and password buffer are a not match. If they do not match,an error condition, then the SBC 40 will write 0000h into the SBC statusbuffer, set the channel status byte to 0Eh, issue the InterruptProcessed command and then update the sense byte buffer. If byte zero is00h, an error condition, the SBC 40 transfers the contents of thecontrol access buffer to the password buffer. If neither of these twoerror conditions exists, the SBC 40 will write 0000h into the SBC statusbuffer, set the status byte to 0Ch, and then issue the InterruptProcessed command; and vi) The VMEGate 36 will present to the channelthe status associated with the Interrupt Processed command.

The DATA SECURITY ERASE, 97h, command invokes a sequence of events uponreceipt as follows: i) The VMEGate 36 will present initial status of 08hand disconnect; ii) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition that theData Security Erase was not chained from an Erase Gap command. If thiserror is detected, the VMEGate 36 sets Unit Check bit and sets the errorcode to Command Reject. If an error condition is detected, the VMEGate36 will write the data for a type 04h interrupt into the ICB andinterrupt the SBC 40. If no error condition is detected, the VMEGate 36will write the data for a type 01h interrupt into the ICB and interruptthe SBC 40; iii) When the SBC 40 receives a type 04h interrupt, the SBC40 will update the sense byte buffer, write 0002h into the SBC statusbuffer, set the channel status byte to 26h and then issue the InterruptProcessed command; iv) When the SBC 40 receives a type 01h interrupt,the SBC 40 will write FF through to the end of the Tape Map Buffer, setthe PHYS EOT DB-flag-word, write 0000h into the SBC status buffer, setthe channel status byte to 04h, and then issue the Interrupt Processedcommand; and v) The VMEGate 36 will present to the channel the statusassociated with the Interrupt Processed command.

The ERASE GAP, 17h, command invokes a sequence of events upon receipt asfollows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition that the driveis not ready or offline. If an error is detected, the VMEGate 36 setsUnit Check bit and sets the error code to not ready/offline. The VMEGate36 also tests for an error condition that the drive is file protected.If this error is detected, the VMEGate 36 sets Unit Check bit and setsthe error code to File Protected; ii) If one of these error conditionsis detected, the VMEGate 36 will present 02h initial status, disconnectfrom the channel, and then write the data for a type 04h interrupt intothe ICB and interrupt the SBC 40; iii) If no error condition isdetected, the VMEGate 36 will present initial status of 08h anddisconnect then interrupt the SBC 40 with interrupt type 01h; iv) Whenthe SBC 40 receives a type 04h interrupt, the SBC 40 will update thesense byte buffer, write 0006h into the SBC status buffer and then issuethe Interrupt Processed command. When the SBC 40 receives a type 01hinterrupt, the SBC 40 will test to see if a Write to the optical driveis occurring. If it is, the SBC 40 will set up the SCSI Writes to flushthe buffer, set SYNCHRONIZE. The SBC 40 then sets the SBC status bufferto 0004h and issues interrupt processed. When the SIHM write completes,the tape map entry pointers will be adjusted and Device End presented.If a SCSI Write is not occurring, the SBC 40 tests for SCSI Reads. If aSCSI Read is occurring, the SBC 40 sets ABORT. The SBC 40 then sets theSBC status buffer to 0004h and issues interrupt processed. When the SIHMwrite completes, the tape map entry pointers will be adjusted and DeviceEnd presented. If a SCSI write or read is not occurring, the SBC 40writes 04h into the channel status byte, 0000h into the SBC statusbuffer and issues Interrupt Processed command to the VMEGate 36; and v)The VMEGate 36 will present to the channel the status associated withthe Interrupt Processed command.

The FORWARD SPACE BLOCK, 37h, command invokes a sequence of events uponreceipt as follows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition thatthe drive is not ready or offline. If an error is detected, the VMEGate36 sets the Unit Check bit and sets the error code to not ready/offline.If the error is detected, the VMEGate 36 will present 02h initialstatus, disconnect from the channel and then write the data for a type04h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If an error is notdetected, the VMEGate 36 will present initial status of 08h, set controlunit busy and then write the data for a type 01h interrupt into the ICBand interrupt the SBC 40; ii) When the SBC 40 receives a type 04hinterrupt, the SBC 40 will update the sense byte buffer, write 0006hinto the SBC status buffer and then issue the Interrupt Processedcommand; When the SBC 40 receives a type 01h interrupt, the SBC 40 willtest to see if a Write to the optical drive is occurring. If it is, theSBC 40 will set up the SCSI Writes to flush the buffer and setSYNCHRONIZE. The SBC 40 then sets the SBC status buffer to 0004h andissues an interrupt Processed command. When the SIHM write completes,the tape map entry pointers will be adjusted and Device End with UnitCheck is presented. If a SCSI Write is not occurring, the SBC 40 testsfor SCSI Reads. If a SCSI Read is occurring, the SBC 40 sets ABORT. Whenthe SIHM read completes, the tape map entry pointers will be adjustedand Device End is presented. The SBC 40 then sets the SBC status bufferto 0004 and issues an Interrupt Processed command. If a SCSI write orread is not occurring, the SBC 40 adds one to the TM-Channel-ptr and theTM-SCSI-ptr. The SBC 40 tests for an error condition that the PHYS EOToccurred after adjustment of tape map entry pointers. If an errorcondition is detected, the SBC 40 sets the channel status byte to 26hand updates the sense byte buffer. The SBC 40 will write 0002h into theSBC status buffer then issues the Interrupt Processed command. The SBC40 tests for an error condition that a tape mark was encountered. If anerror condition is detected, the SBC 40 sets the channel status byte to25h and sets the tape mark bit in the Drive Status Word. The SBC 40 willwrite 0000h into the SBC status buffer and then issue the InterruptProcessed command. If neither of these two errors are detected, the SBC40 sets the channel status byte to 04h. The SBC 40 will write 0000h intothe SBC status buffer and then issue the Interrupt Processed command;and iv) The VMEGate 36 will present to the channel the status associatedwith the Interrupt Processed command.

The FORWARD SPACE FILE, 3Fh, command invokes a sequence of events uponreceipt as follows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition thatthe drive is not ready or offline. If an error is detected, the VMEGate36 sets the Unit Check bit and sets the error code to not ready/offline.If the error is detected, the VMEGate 36 will present 02h initialstatus, disconnect from the channel and then write the data for a type04h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If an error is notdetected, the VMEGate 36 will present initial status of 08h, set controlunit busy and then write the data for a type 01h interrupt into the ICBand interrupt the SBC 40; ii) When the SBC 40 receives a type 04hinterrupt, the SBC 40 will update the sense byte buffer, write 0006hinto the SBC status buffer and then issue the Interrupt Processedcommand; iii) When the SBC 40 receives a type 01h interrupt, the SBC 40will test to see if a Write to the optical drive is occurring. If it is,the SBC 40 will set up the SCSI Writes to flush the buffer and setSYNCHRONIZE. The SBC 40 then sets the SBC status buffer to 0004h andissues interrupt processed. When the SIHM write completes, the tape mapentry pointers will be adjusted and Device End with Unit Check ispresented. If a SCSI Write is not occurring, the SBC 40 tests for SCSIReads. If a SCSI Read is occurring, the SBC 40 sets ABORT. The SBC 40then sets the SBC status buffer to 0004h and issues interrupt processed.When the SIHM read completes, the tape map entry pointers will beadjusted and Device End is presented. If a SCSI write or read is notoccurring, the SBC 40 adds one to the TM-Channel-ptr and the TM-SCSI-ptruntil they are pointing to a tape mark entry. The SBC 40 tests for anerror conditions that BOT or PHYS EOT occurred after adjustment of tapemap entry pointers. If an error conditions exists, the SBC 40 sets thechannel status byte to 26h and updates the sense byte buffer. The SBC 40will write 0002h into the SBC status buffer and then issue the InterruptProcessed command. If this error condition does not exist, the SBC 40sets the channel status byte to 04h. The SBC 40 will write 000h into theSBC status buffer and then issue the Interrupt Processed command; andiv) The VMEGate 36 will present to the channel the status associatedwith the Interrupt Processed command.

The LOAD DISPLAY, 9Fh, command invokes a sequence of events upon receiptas follows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition that theSupervisor Command Inhibit bit is set. If an error is detected, theVMEGate 36 sets the Unit Check bit and sets the error code to SupervisorInhibit. If the error is detected, the VMEGate 36 will present 02hinitial status, disconnect from the channel and then write the data fora type 04h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If an erroris not detected, the VMEGate 36 will present initial status of 00h andtransfer up to seventeen bytes of data into the load display buffer. Theeighteenth byte is set to zero. The VMEGate 36 then tests the for anerror condition that fewer than seventeen bytes were transferred. If anerror is detected, the VMEGate 36 sets the Unit Check bit and sets theerror code to Command Reject. If an error condition is detected, theVMEGate 36 will present ending status of 0Eh and write the data for atype 04h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If no errorcondition is detected, the VMEGate 36 will present 08h ending status,disconnect and then write the data for a type 01h interrupt into the ICBand interrupt the SBC 40 for action based on the format control byte;ii) When the SBC 40 receives a type 04h interrupt, the SBC 40 willupdate the sense byte buffer, write 0006h into the SBC status buffer,and then issue the Interrupt Processed command; iii) When the SBC 40receives a type 01h interrupt, the SBC 40 will alter the value in theeighteenth byte of the load display buffer, write 0000h into the SBCstatus buffer, set the channel status byte to 04h and then issue theInterrupt Processed command; iv) The load display data is processed bythe next call of the QIHM; and v) The VMEGate 36 will present to thechannel the status associated with the Interrupt Processed command.

The LOCATE BLOCK, 4Fh, command invokes a sequence of events upon receiptas follows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition that thedrive is not ready or offline. If an error is detected, the VMEGate 36sets the Unit Check bit and sets the error code to not ready/offline. Ifthe error is detected, the VMEGate 36 will present 02h initial status,disconnect from the channel and then write the data for a type 04hinterrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If an error is notdetected, the VMEGate 36 will present initial status of 00h, transfer upto four bytes of data into the locate block buffer and then test for anerror condition. The error condition is that fewer than four bytestransferred. If an error is detected, the VMEGate 36 sets the Unit Checkbit and sets the error code to Command Reject. If an error condition isdetected, the VMEGate 36 will present ending status of 0Eh, write thedata for a type 04h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. Ifno error condition is detected, the VMEGate 36 will present 08h endingstatus, disconnect and then write the data for a type 01h interrupt intothe ICB and interrupt the SBC 40; ii) When the SBC 40 receives a type04h interrupt, the SBC 40 will update the Sense Byte buffer, write 0006hinto the SBC status buffer and issue the Interrupt Processed command;iii) When the SBC 40 receives a type 01h interrupt, the SBC 40 will testto determine if a Write to the optical drive is occurring. If it is, theSBC 40 will set up the SCSI Writes to flush the buffer, and setSYNCHRONIZE. The SBC 40 then sets the SBC status buffer to 0004h andissues an Interrupt Processed command. When the SIHM write completes,the tape map entry pointers will be adjusted and then Device End ispresented. If a SCSI Write is not occurring, the SBC 40 tests for SCSIReads. If a SCSI Read is occurring, the SBC 40 sets ABORT. The SBC 40then sets the SBC status buffer to 0004h and issues an InterruptProcessed command. When the SIHM write completes, the tape map entrypointers will be adjusted and then Device End is presented. If a SCSIwrite or read is not occurring, the SBC 40 will mask off the mostsignificant byte of the four byte argument and then set theTM-Channel-ptr and TM-SCSI-ptr to the tape map base plus two, to skipthe tape map identifier bytes and then adds the masked argument of theLocate Block CCW. In this way, the pointers will now point to theLocated Block. The SBC then tests for an error condition that PriorBlock Not Found and Argument Block Not Found. If an error is detected,the SBC sets the channel status byte to 26h and updates the sense bytebuffer. The SBC 40 will then write 0002h into the SBC status buffer andthen issue the Interrupt Processed command. The SBC also tests for anerror conditions that Argument Block Not Found but Prior Block Found. Ifan error condition is detected, the SBC 40 sets the tape map entrypointers back one location and sets a flag indicating that the nextcommand cannot be a READ CCW. The SBC 40 will then set the channelstatus byte to 04h. The SBC 40 will write 0000h into the SBC statusbuffer then issue the Interrupt Processed command. If neither of thesetwo error conditions are detected, the SBC 40 will set the channelstatus byte to 04h. The SBC 40 will then write 0000h into the SBC statusbuffer and then issue the Interrupt Processed command; and iv) TheVMEGate 36 will present to the channel the status associated with theInterrupt Processed command.

The MODE SET, DBh, command invokes a sequence of events upon receipt asfollows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition that theSupervisor Command Inhibit bit is set. If an error is detected, theVMEGate 36 sets the Unit Check bit and sets the error code to SupervisorInhibit. If the error is detected, the VMEGate 36 will present 02hinitial status, disconnect from the channel and then write the data fora type 04h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If an erroris not detected, the VMEGate 36 will present initial status of 00h andaccept the Mode Set byte. The VMEGate 36 then tests for an errorcondition that bits zero, one and four to six of the Mode Set Byte arenot zero. If an error is detected, the VMEGate 36 sets the Unit Checkbit and sets the error code to Command Reject. If an error condition isdetected, the VMEGate 36 will present ending status of 0Eh and thenwrite the data for a type 04h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt theSBC 40. If no error condition is detected, the VMEGate 36 will present08h ending status, disconnect, and note for future use the state of bitstwo and three of the argument. The VMEGate 36 then will interrupt theSBC 40 with a type 01h interrupt; ii) When the SBC 40 receives a type04h interrupt, the SBC 40 will update the sense byte buffer, write 0006hinto the SBC status buffer and issue the Interrupt Processed command;iii) When the SBC 40 receives a type 01h interrupt, the SBC 40 willwrite 04h into the channel status byte and write 0000h into the SBCstatus buffer and issue an Interrupt Processed command.

The NOP, 03h, command invokes a sequence of events upon receipt asfollows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition that drive isnot ready or offline. If an error is detected, the VMEGate 36 sets theUnit Check bit and sets the error code to not ready/offline. If theerror is detected, the VMEGate 36 will present 02h initial status,disconnect from the channel and then write the data for a type 04hinterrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If the error is notdetected, the VMEGate 36 will present initial status of 0Ch anddisconnect; ii) When the SBC 40 is interrupted it will set up the sensedata and place 0006h in the SBC status buffer and then issue anInterrupt Processed command. The following command codes are all handledas NOP commands: 23h, 2Bh, 33h, 3Bh, 53h, 63h, 6Bh, 73h, 7Bh, 93h, B3h,BBh, A3h, ABh, CBh, and D3h.

The READ, 02h, command invokes a sequence of events upon receipt asfollows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition that the driveis not ready or offline. If an error is detected, the VMEGate 36 setsthe Unit Check bit and sets the error code to not ready/offline. If theerror is detected, the VMEGate 36 will present 02h initial status,disconnect from the channel and then write the data for a type 04hinterrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If an error is notdetected, the VMEGate 36 will present initial status of 00h. If an erroris not detected, the VMEGate 36 is test current system state that theREAD DATA VALID bit is set in the DB-flag-word. If this state is true,the VMEGate 36 will access system memory based on the buffer pointer andtransfer the number of bytes specified in the Channel Block Length wordor until the channel raises CMD OUT. Upon completion, the VMEGate 36will interrupt the SBC 40 with a type 01h interrupt. The VMEGate 36 willtest another current system state, that the READ DATA VALID bit isclear, for a Command Retry Condition, or a tape mark or EOT occurrence.If this condition is true, the VMEGate 36 sets the error code to Retry.The VMEGate 36 will then write the data for a type 04h interrupt intothe ICB and interrupt the SBC 40; ii) When the SBC 40 receives a type01h interrupt, it checks to determine if the segment just transferred isnot part of a Long Record. If it is not or CMD OUT was raised, the SBC40 writes 0Ch into the channel status byte and sets the SBC statusbuffer to 0000h and then issues an Interrupt Processed command. If thesegment transferred was part of a Long Record and CMD OUT was notraised, the SBC 40 determines if the next segment is in memory. If itis, the SBC 40 sets up the DB-Channel-ptr, Channel-block-length and setsREAD DATA VALID in the DB-flag-word. If the next segment is not inmemory, READ DATA VALID is cleared and BUFFER PENDING is set in theVIH-flag-word. When the segment is available, the SBC 40 will issue aBuffer Ready command to the VMEGate 36 and the VMEGate 36 will continuethe transfer; iii) When the SBC 40 receives a type 04h interrupt withnot ready/offline set, the SBC 40 will update the sense byte buffer,write 0006h into the SBC status buffer and then issue the InterruptProcessed command. If the SBC 40 receives a type 04h interrupt withretry set, it will determine if a SCSI write is occurring. If it is, theSBC 40 will set the channel status byte to 4Ah, set the SBC statusbuffer to 0000h and then issue the Interrupt Processed command. The SBC40 will then set SYNCHRONIZE and flush the data buffer to disk. When theSCSI write is complete, Device End will be presented, and the READ CCWretried. If the SCSI is not involved in a write, the SBC 40 will read atthe TM-Channel-ptr contents. If the contents show END OF TAPE MAP, theSBC 40 will set to 0000h and then issue the Interrupt Processed command.The SBC 40 will then update the sense data to indicate Block ID Out OfSequence. If the TM-Channel-ptr entry type is not END OF TAPE MAP, theSBC 40 determines if it is a Tape Mark. If it is, the SBC 40 will setthe channel status byte to 0Dh and set the SBC status buffer to 0000hand then issue the interrupt processed command. If the TM-Channel-ptrentry type is a Normal Record, the SBC 40 sets the channel status byteto 4Ah, and then issues the Interrupt Processed command. The SBC 40 thensets up a SCSI Read based on the TM-Channel-ptr absolute address of therecord entry, sets READING in the VIH-flag-word and sets DEVICE ENDPENDING in the DB-flag-word. When the SCSI Read is finished, the SBC 40will set READ DATA VALID in the DB-flag-word and the presents Device Endstatus.

The READ BACKWARD, 0Ch, command invokes a sequence of events uponreceipt as follows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition thatthe drive is not ready or offline. If an error is detected, the VMEGate36 sets the Unit Check bit and sets the error code to not ready/offline.If the error is detected, the VMEGate 36 will present 02h initialstatus, disconnect from the channel and then write the data for a type04h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If an error is notdetected, the VMEGate 36 will present initial status of 00h. The VMEGate36 will then test if READ BKWD DATA VALID is set in the DB-flag-word. Ifset, the VMEGate 36 will access VME memory based on the buffer pointerand transfer the number of bytes specified in the data length word oruntil the channel raises CMD OUT. Data will be transferred out of memorybackwards. Because of this, VME block transfer cannot be used. Uponcompletion, the VMEGate 36 will interrupt the SBC 40 with a type 01hinterrupt. The VMEGate then tests for an error condition that READ BKWDDATA VALID is clear from a Command Retry Condition, or tape mark or BOToccurrence. If an error is detected, the VMEGate 36 sets the error codeto Retry. The VMEGate 36 will then write the data for a type 04hinterrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40; ii) When the SBC 40receives a type 01h interrupt, it will determines if the record beingtransferred is not a Long Record, or if CMD OUT was raised. If either ofthese cases are true, the SBC 40 will write 0Ch into the channel statusbyte, 0000h into the SBC status buffer and issue the Interrupt Processedcommand. If the segment transferred was part of a Long Record and CMDOUT was not raised, the SBC 40 determines if the next segment is inmemory. If it is, the SBC 40 sets up the DB-Channel-ptr andChannel-block-Length and sets READ BKWD DATA VALID in the DB-flag-word.If the next segment is not in memory, READ BKWD DATA VALID is clearedand BUFFER PENDING is set in the VIH-flag-word. When the segment isavailable, the SBC 40 will issue a Buffer Ready command to the VMEGate36 and the VMEGate 36 will continue the transfer; iii) When the SBC 40receives a type 04h interrupt with not ready/offline set, the SBC 40will update the sense byte buffer, write 0006h into the SBC statusbuffer and then issue the Interrupt Processed command. If the SBC 40receives a type 04h interrupt with retry set, it will determine if aSCSI write is occurring. If it is, the SBC 40 will set the channelstatus byte to 4Ah, set the SBC status buffer to 0000h and then issuethe Interrupt Processed command. The SBC 40 will then set SYNCHRONIZEand flush the data buffer to disk. When the SCSI write is complete,Device End will be presented and the READ BACKWARD CCW is retried. Ifthe SCSI is not involved in a write, the SBC 40 determine if theTM-Channel-ptr is at BOT. If it is, the SBC 40 will set the channelstatus byte to 0Eh, will set the SBC status buffer to 0000h and thenissue the Interrupt Processed command. The SBC 40 will then update thesense data to indicate Backwards Motion at BOT. The SBC 40 will thendecrement the TM-Channel-ptr. If the TM-Channel-ptr was not at BOT, theSBC 40 determines if the entry type is a tape mark. If it is, the SBC 40will set the channel status byte to 0Dh, will set the SBC status bufferto 0000h and then issue the Interrupt Processed command. If theTM-Channel-ptr entry type is a Normal Record, the SBC 40 sets thechannel status byte to 4Ah and then issues the Interrupt Processedcommand. The SBC 40 then sets up a SCSI Read based on the TM-Channel-ptrabsolute address of the record entry, sets READING in the VIH-flag-wordand sets DEVICE END PENDING in the DB-flag-word. When the SCSI Read isfinished, the SBC 40 will set READ BKWD DATA VALID in the DB-flag-wordand present status of Device End.

The READ BLOCK ID, 22h, command invokes a sequence of events uponreceipt as follows: i) The VMEGate 36 will present initial status of 00hand write the data for a type 01h interrupt into the ICB and interruptthe SBC 40; ii) When the SBC 40 receives a type 01h interrupt, the SBC40 will create the data for the block id buffer. The first four byteblock will represent the TM-Channel-ptr position while the second fourbyte block is from the TM-SCSI-ptr. After creating the data, the SBC 40will write 0004h into the SBC status buffer and then issue the InterruptProcessed command; iii) The VMEGate 36 will access the block id bufferand transfer eight bytes of data or until the channel raises CMD OUT;and iv) The VMEGate 36 will present 0Ch ending status.

The READ BUFFER, 12h, command invokes a sequence of events upon receiptas follows: i) The VMEGate 36 presents initial status of 00h andinterrupts the SBC 40 with a type 01h interrupt; ii) When the SBC 40receives a type 01h interrupt, it will determine if a SCSI write isoccurring. If it is, the SBC 40 will set the channel status byte to 4Ah,will set the SBC status buffer to 0000h and then issue the InterruptProcessed command. The SBC 40 will then set SYNCHRONIZE and flush thedata buffer to disk. When the SCSI write is complete, Device End will bepresented, and the READ BUFFER CCW retried. If the SBC 40 was notperforming a SCSI write when the type 01h interrupt occurred the SBC 40will set the channel status byte to 0Ch, set the SBC status buffer to0000h and then issue the Interrupt Processed command. The VMEGate 36will present the status. No data will be transferred.

The READ BUFFERED LOG, 24h, command invokes a sequence of events are asfollows: i) The VMEGate 36 will present initial status of 00h and writethe data for a type 01h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40;ii) When the SBC 40 receives a type 01h interrupt, the SBC 40 willeither validate or create the data for the READ BUFFERED LOG CCW, write0006h into the SBC status buffer and then issue the Interrupt Processedcommand; iii) The VMEGate 36 will pass sense bytes zero through sevenfollowed by format 21 sense bytes zero through twenty-three until thechannel raises CMD OUT or all bytes are transferred; and iv) The VMEGate36 will present 0Ch ending status.

The REWIND, 07h, command invokes a sequence of events as follows: i) TheVMEGate 36 tests for an error condition that drive is not ready/offline.If an error is detected, the VMEGate 36 sets the Unit Check bit and setsthe error code to not ready/offline. If the error is detected, theVMEGate 36 will present 02h initial status, disconnect from the channeland then write the data for a type 04h interrupt into the ICB andinterrupt the SBC 40. If no error condition is detected, the VMEGate 36will present initial status of 08h, disconnect and then write the datafor a type 01h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40; ii) Whenthe SBC 40 receives a type 04h interrupt, the SBC 40 will update thesense byte buffer, write 0006h into the SBC status buffer and then issuethe Interrupt Processed command; iii) When the SBC 40 receives a type01h interrupt, the SBC 40 will determine if a Write to the optical driveis occurring. If it is, the SBC 40 will set up the SCSI Writes to flushthe buffer and set SYNCHRONIZE. The SBC 40 then sets the SBC statusbuffer to 0004h and issues the Interrupt Processed command. When theSIHM write completes, the tape map entry pointers will be adjusted andDevice End is presented. If a SCSI Write is not occurring, the SBC 40tests for SCSI Reads. If a SCSI Read is occurring, the SBC 40 setsABORT. The SBC 40 then sets the SBC 40 status buffer to 0004h and issuesthe Interrupt Processed command. When the SIHM write completes, the tapemap entry pointers will be adjusted and Device End presented. If a SCSIwrite or read is not occurring, the SBC 40 will set the DB-Channel-ptrand the DB-SCSI-ptr to the data buffer base. The SBC 40 will then setthe TM-Channel-ptr and the TM-SCSI-ptr to the tape map base plus two,after which the SBC 40 will set BOT in the sense bytes. Finally, the SBC40 will write 0000h into the SBC status buffer, set the channel statusbyte to 04h and then issue the Interrupt Processed command; and iv) TheVMEGate 36 will present to the channel the status associated with theInterrupt Processed command.

The REWIND UNLOAD, 0Fh, command invokes a sequence of events uponreceipt as follows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition thatthe drive is not ready or offline. If an error is detected, the VMEGate36 sets the Unit Check bit and sets the error code to not ready/offline.If the error is detected, the VMEGate 36 will present 02h initialstatus, disconnect from the channel and then write the data for a type04h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If no errorcondition is detected, the VMEGate 36 will present initial status of08h, disconnect and then write the data for a type 01h interrupt intothe ICB and interrupt the SBC 40; ii) When the SBC 40 receives a type04h interrupt, the SBC 40 will update the sense byte buffer, write 0006hinto the SBC status buffer and then issue the Interrupt Processedcommand; iii) When the SBC 40 receives a type 01h interrupt, the SBC 40will determine if a Write to the optical drive is occurring. If it is,the SBC 40 will set up the SCSI Writes to flush the buffer and setSYNCHRONIZE. The SBC 40 then sets the SBC status buffer to 0004h andissues the Interrupt Processed command. When the SIHM write completes,the tape map entry pointers will be adjusted and Device End ispresented. If a SCSI Write is not occurring, the SBC 40 tests for SCSIReads. If a SCSI Read is occurring, the SBC 40 sets ABORT. The SBC 40then sets the SBC status buffer to 0004h and issues the InterruptProcessed command. When the SIHM write completes, the tape map entrypointers will be adjusted and Device End is presented. If a SCSI writeor read is not occurring, the SBC 40 will set the DB-Channel-ptr and theDB-SCSI-ptr to the data buffer base. The SBC 40 will then set theTM-Channel-ptr and the TM-SCSI-ptr to the tape map base plus two, afterwhich the SBC 40 will set BOT in the sense bytes. The SBC 40 will setthe tape unloaded flag in the CAB; iv) The SBC 40 will then set theIntervention Required bit in the sense byte buffer and buffered log, setBuffered Log Data ERPA code to 2Bh, update the buffered log, write 0002hinto the SBC status buffer, set the channel status byte to 26h and thenissue the Interrupt Processed command; and v) The VMEGate 36 willpresent to the channel the status associated with the InterruptProcessed command.

The SENSE, 04h, command invokes a sequence of events upon receipt asfollows i) The VMEGate 36 will present initial status of 00h; ii) If theVMEGate internal Sense Ready flag is set in response to the VMEGateinterrupt, the VMEGate 36 will transfer the sense bytes zero throughseven followed by either format 20 sense bytes or format 21 sense bytesdepending on the value of sense byte seven. The VMEGate 36 will thenpresent 0Ch ending status; iii) If the VMEGate internal Sense Ready flagis not set, the VMEGate 36 will test its internal Sense Pending flag. Ifit is set, the VMEGate 36 will test sense byte seven. If sense byteseven is equal to 20h, the VMEGate 36 will transfer the data asdescribed above. If sense byte seven is not 20h, the VMEGate 36 willpresent status of Temporary Control Unit Busy. This will continue untilsense byte seven becomes 20h; iv) If a SENSE CCW arrives and the VMEGate36 has neither Sense Ready nor Sense Pending, the VMEGate 36 will set upa type 01h interrupt; v) If the SBC 40 receives a type 01 interrupt, itwill either validate or create the data for the sense byte buffer orBuffered log data, write 0006h into the SBC status buffer and then issuethe Interrupt Processed command. The VMEGate 36 will transfer the sensebytes and either format 20 sense bytes or format 21 sense bytes; and vi)The VMEGate 36 will present 0Ch ending status.

The SENSE ID, E4h, command invokes a sequence of events upon receipt asfollows: i) The VMEGate 36 will present initial status of 00h; ii) TheVMEGate 36 will access VME memory and transfer either the seven DrivePresent bytes or the seven Drive Not Present bytes or until the channelraises CMD OUT; and iii) The VMEGate 36 will present 0Ch ending status.

The SENSE PATH GROUP ID, 34h, command invokes a sequence of events uponreceipt as follows: i) The VMEGate 36 will present initial status of00h. The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition that the command waschained to the preceding command. If an error is detected, the VMEGate36 sets the Unit Check bit and sets the error code to Command Reject. Ifan error condition is detected, the VMEGate 36 will write the data for atype 04h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If no errorwas detected, the VMEGate 36 will transfer the data from the set sensepath group id buffer then present status of 0Ch. The SBC 40 will not beinterrupted; ii) When the SBC 40 receives a type 04h interrupt, the SBC40 will write 0000h into the SBC status buffer, set the channel statusbyte to 0Eh, issue the Interrupt Processed command and then update thesense byte buffer; and iii) The VMEGate 36 will present to the channelthe status associated with the Interrupt Processed command.

The SET PATH GROUP ID, AFh, command invokes a sequence of events uponreceipt as follows: i) The VMEGate 36 will present initial status of00h, transfer up to twelve bytes of data into the set sense path groupid buffer and then test an error conditions that the command was chainedto the preceding command. If an error is detected, the VMEGate 36 setsthe Unit Check bit and sets the error code to Command Reject. TheVMEGate 36 also tests for an error condition that fewer than twelvebytes were transferred. If this error is detected, the VMEGate 36 setsthe Unit Check bit and sets the error code to Command Reject. TheVMEGate 36 also tests for an error condition that bit one is zero andbit one and two are both one of byte zero of the twelve bytestransferred. If an error is detected, the VMEGate 36 sets the Unit Checkbit and sets error code to Command Reject. The VMEGate 36 also tests foran error condition that bytes one through eleven of the twelve bytestransferred are zero. If an error is detected, the VMEGate 36 sets theUnit Check bit and sets the error code to Command Reject. If an errorcondition is detected, the VMEGate 36 will write the data for a type 04hinterrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If no error conditionis detected, the VMEGate 36 will write the data for a type 01h interruptinto the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40; ii) When the SBC 40 receives atype 04h interrupt, the SBC 40 will write 0000h into the SBC statusbuffer, set the channel status byte to 0Eh, issue the InterruptProcessed command and then update the sense byte buffer; iii) When theSBC 40 receives a type 01h interrupt, the SBC 40 will set theappropriate bits in byte zero of the set sense path group id buffer, setthe channel status byte to 0Ch, issue the Interrupt Processed command,then update the sense byte buffer; and iv) The VMEGate 36 will presentto the channel the status associated with the Interrupt Processedcommand.

The SET TAPE WRITE IMMEDIATE, C3h, command invokes a sequence of eventsupon receipt as follows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error conditionthat the drive is not ready or offline. If an error is detected, theVMEGate 36 sets the Unit Check bit. The error code is set to notready/offline. If the error is detected, the VMEGate 36 will present 02hinitial status, disconnect from the channel and then write the data fora type 04h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If no errorcondition is detected, the VMEGate 36 will present initial status of08h, disconnect and then reconnect and present 04h ending status; ii)When the SBC 40 receives a type 04h interrupt, the SBC 40 will updatethe sense byte buffer, write 0006h into the SBC status buffer and thenissue the Interrupt Processed command; iii) The VMEGate 36 will presentto the channel the status associated with the Interrupt Processedcommand.

The SUSPEND MULTIPATH RECONNECTION, 5Bh, command invokes a sequence ofevents upon receipt as follows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an errorcondition that the Supervisor Command Inhibit bit is set. If an error isdetected, the VMEGate 36 sets the Unit Check bit and sets the error codeto Supervisor Inhibit. If the error is detected, the VMEGate 36 willpresent 02h initial status, disconnect from the channel and then writethe data for a type 04h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40.If an error is not detected, the VMEGate 36 will present initial statusof 08h and then reconnect and present 04h status; ii) If the SBC 40receives a type 04h interrupt, the SBC 40 will update the sense bytebuffer, write 0006h into the SBC status buffer and the issue theInterrupt Processed command.

The SYNCHRONIZE, 43h, command invokes a sequence of events upon receiptas follows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition that thedrive is not ready/offline. If an error is detected, the VMEGate 36 setsthe Unit Check bit, The error code is set to not ready/offline. If theerror is detected, the VMEGate 36 will present 02h initial status,disconnect from the channel and then write the data for a type 04hinterrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If no error conditionis detected, the VMEGate 36 will present initial status of 00h and theninterrupt the SBC 40 with a type 01h interrupt; ii) When the SBC 40receives a type 04h interrupt, the SBC 40 will write 0006h into the SBCstatus buffer, update the sense byte buffer and then issue the InterruptProcessed command; When the SBC 40 receives a type 01h interrupt, itwill determine if the SCSI is writing data. If it is, the SBC 40 willset the channel status byte to 4A, set the SBC status buffer to 0000hset DEVICE END PENDING and then issue the Interrupt Processed command.The SBC 40 will then set the synch byte to SYNCHRONIZE, and set up theSCSI writes to flush the buffer. When the writes are finished, the SBC40 will present 04h status. If SCSI writes are not occurring, the SBC 40determines if SCSI reads are occurring. If they are, the SBC 40 will setthe channel status byte to 4A, set the SBC status buffer to 0000h setDEVICE END PENDING and then issue the Interrupt Processed command. TheSBC 40 will then set the synch byte to SYNCHRONIZE and set ABORT. Whenthe SCSI read is complete, the SBC 40 will present 04 status. If a SCSIwrite or read is not occurring, the SBC 40 will set the channel statusbyte to 0Ch, set the SBC status buffer to 0000 and then issue theInterrupt Processed command; and iii) The VMEGate 36 will present to thechannel the status associated with the Interrupt Processed command.

The UNASSIGN, C7h, command invokes a sequence of events upon receipt asfollows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition that SupervisorCommand Inhibit bit is set. If an error is detected, the VMEGate 36 setsthe Unit Check bit and sets the error code to Supervisor Inhibit. If theerror is detected, the VMEGate 36 will present 02h initial status,disconnect from the channel and then write the data for a type 04hinterrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If 02h initial statusis not presented, the VMEGate 36 will present initial status of 00h andthen transfer up to eleven bytes of data into the unassigned buffer. TheVMEGate then tests for an error condition that fewer than eleven byteswere transferred. If an error is detected, the VMEGate 36 sets the UnitCheck bit and sets the error code to Command Reject. If an errorcondition is detected, the VMEGate 36 will write the data for a type 04hinterrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If no error wasdetected, the VMEGate 36 will present 0C ending status; ii) When the SBC40 receives a type 04h interrupt, the SBC 40 will test the Unit Checkbit. If set, the SBC 40 will update the sense byte buffer, write 0006hinto the SBC status buffer and then issue the Interrupt Processedcommand. If the Unit Check bit is not set, the SBC 40 will write 0000hinto the SBC status buffer, set the channel status byte to 0Eh, issuethe Interrupt Processed command, and then update the sense byte buffer;iii) The VMEGate 36 will present to the channel the status associatedwith the Interrupt Processed command.

The WRITE, 01h, command invokes a sequence of events upon receipt asfollows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition that the driveis not ready/offline. If an error is detected, the VMEGate 36 sets theUnit Check bit. The error code is set to not ready/offline. The VMEGate36 also test for an error condition that the drive is file protected. Ifthis error is detected, the VMEGate 36 sets the Unit Check bit and setsthe error code to File Protected. If either of these error conditions isdetected, the VMEGate 36 will present 02h initial status, disconnectfrom the channel and then write the data for a type 04h interrupt intothe ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. If an error is not detected, theVMEGate 36 will present initial status of 00h. The VMEGate then teststhe current system state that the DB-flag-word has WRITE BUFFER READYset. If set, the VMEGate 36 will access VME memory based on theDB-Channel-ptr and transfer the number of bytes specified in theChannel-block-length or until the channel raises CMD OUT. If theChannel-block-Length is not the size of a complete buffer,two-hundred-and-fifty-six minus twenty eight, and more Channel BlockLength bytes are transferred, the VMEGate 36 will set the error code toRetry and interrupt the SBC 40 with a type 04h interrupt. If less thanChannel Block Length bytes are transferred, the VMEGate 36 will thenwrite the data for a type 01h interrupt into the ICB and interrupt theSBC 40. If Tape Write Immediate mode is in effect, the VMEGate 36 willset the error code byte in the Interrupt Command Buffer to 01h. If acomplete data buffer is filled, the VMEGate 36 writes the data for atype 01 interrupt into the ICB and interrupt the SBC 40. The VMEGate 36also tests for an error condition that the current state is the CommandRetry Condition by testing that the WRITE BUFFER READY bit is cleared.If an error is detected, the VMEGate 36 sets the error code to Retry.The VMEGate 36 will then write the data for a type 04h interrupt intothe ICB and interrupt the SBC 40; ii) When the SBC 40 receives a type04h interrupt with Unit Check bit set, the SBC 40 will update the sensebyte buffer, write 0006h into the SBC status buffer and then issue theInterrupt Processed command; iii) If the SBC 40 receives a type 04hinterrupt with the error code set to Retry, the SBC 40 will determine ifa Physical End of Tape has been reached. If a Physical End of Tape hasbeen reached, the SBC 40 will write 0000h into the SBC status buffer,set the channel status byte to 0Eh, issue the Interrupt Processedcommand and then update the sense byte buffer. If a Physical End of Tapehas not been reached, the SBC 40 will determine if a SCSI Read isoccurring. If one is, the SBC 40 will set the channel status byte to4Ah, set the SBC status buffer to 0000h, set DEVICE END PENDING andissue the Interrupt Processed command. The SBC 40 will present DeviceEnd and set WRITE BUFFER READY when the Read or Write is complete. If noRead is occurring, the SBC 40 attempts to find an available data buffer.If it does, the SBC 40 will set the channel status byte to 4Eh, setWRITE BUFFER READY, set the SBC 40 status buffer to 0000h and then issuethe Interrupt Processed command. If no data buffer is available, the SBC40 will present 4A status as described for SCSI Read in the previousparagraph; iv) When the SBC 40 receives a type 01h interrupt, itdetermines if Long Record is set in the error code. If it is, the SBC 40attempts to find an available data buffer. If successful, the SBC 40sets WRITE BUFFER READY, DB-Channel-ptr and Channel-block-length, writes0004h into the SBC status buffer and then issues the Interrupt Processedcommand to the VMEGate 36. If no data buffer is available, the SBC 40clears WRITE BUFFER READY and sets BUFFER PENDING in the VIH-flag-word.When a data buffer is available, the SBC 40 will issue a Buffer Readycommand to the VMEGate 36 and the transfer will continue. If LONG RECORDbit is not set when the SBC 40 receives a type 01h interrupt, the SBC 40will determine if Logical EOT is set. If it is, the SBC 40 will write0000h into the SBC status buffer, set the channel status byte to 08h andthen issue the Interrupt Processed command. After issuing the InterruptProcessed command, the SBC 40 will set status to 25h and issue thePresent Status Command. If Logical EOT is not set, the SBC 40 will setthe channel status byte to 0Ch, set the SBC status buffer to 0000h andthen issue the Interrupt Processed command; v) The VMEGate 36 willpresent to the channel the status associated with the InterruptProcessed command; vi) After issuing Interrupt Processed on a type 01hwrite, the SBC 40 will determine if there is room in the buffer for thenext WRITE and set WRITE BUFFER READY accordingly; and vii) The SBC 40will then update the tape map 340 with the new record, and set up therecord for writing to disk 20.

The WRITE TAPE MARK, 1Fh, command invokes a sequence of events uponreceipt as follows: i) The VMEGate 36 tests for an error condition thatthe drive is not ready or offline. If an error is detected, the VMEGate36 sets the Unit Check bit and sets the error code to not ready/offline.The VMEGate 36 also tests for an error condition that the drive is fileprotected. If this error is detected, the VMEGate 36 sets the Unit Checkbit and sets the error code to File Protected. If either of these errorconditions is detected, the VMEGate 36 will present 02h initial statusand disconnect from the channel. If an error is not detected, theVMEGate 36 will present initial status of 08h, disconnect and then writethe data for a type 01h interrupt. If an error condition is detected,the VMEGate 36 will write the data for a type 04h interrupt into the ICBand interrupt the SBC 40; ii) When the SBC 40 receives a type 04hinterrupt, the SBC 40 will update the sense byte buffer, write 0006hinto the SBC status buffer and then issue the Interrupt Processedcommand; iii) When the SBC 40 receives a type 01h interrupt, the SBC 40will determine if a Write to the optical drive is occurring. If it is,the SBC 40 will set up the SCSI Writes to flush the buffer and will setSYNCHRONIZE and DEVICE END PENDING. When the SIHM write completes, thetape map entry pointers will be adjusted and Device End is presented.The SBC 40 then sets the SBC status buffer to 0004h and issues theinterrupt Processed command. If a SCSI Write is not occurring, the SBC40 tests for SCSI Reads. If a SCSI Read is occurring, the SBC 40 setsABORT and DEVICE END PENDING. When the SIHM read completes, the tape mapentry pointers will be adjusted and Device End is presented. The SBC 40then sets the SBC status buffer to 0004h and issues Interrupt Processed.If a SCSI write or read is not occurring, the Physical EOT condition istested. If PHYS EOT has occurred, 26h is placed in the channel statusbyte, the sense data is updated, 0002h is written to the SBC statusbuffer and Interrupt Processed command is issued. If PHYS EOT has notoccurred, the SBC 40 sets type identifier 350 to tape mark 05h,increments the TM-Channel-ptr and the TM-SCSI-ptr, then sets the nextMap Data 348 entry to END OF TAPE MAP. The Cumulative Length is alsoincremented by a GAP OVERHEAD amount. The Logical EOT condition istested. If Log EOT has occurred, the channel status byte is set to 25h.Otherwise, the channel status byte is set to 04h. In either case, theSBC status buffer is set to 0000h and the Interrupt Processed command isissued.

The TEST I/O, 00h, command invokes a sequence of events upon receipt asfollows: i) The VMEGate 36 will present status of 0Ch plus any otherpending status. Status of 0Eh will be presented if the drive is notready and no status is stacked or pending. If 0Eh is presented, the SBC40 will be interrupted by a type 04h interrupt.

We claim:
 1. A system for recording a plurality of virtual magnetictapes, each of which includes user records, on optical disk, saidoptical disk recording system comprising:a record recording means forrecording said user records of each of said plurality of virtualmagnetic tapes on said optical disk, and for, at a later time,supplementally recording still further user records as represent anyadditions or alterations to any one or ones of the plurality of virtualmagnetic tapes, a tape map recording means for recording on said opticaldisk a tape map respective of each one of the plurality of virtualmagnetic tapes, each tape map including pointer data pointing to alocation on said optical disk of the user records of an associated oneof said plurality of virtual magnetic tapes, and each tape map beingrecorded on the optical disk separately from an associated one of saidplurality of virtual magnetic tapes, and for, at a later time,supplementally recording a new tape map or maps respective of any one orones of said plurality of virtual magnetic tapes as are, commensuratewith the ability of the recording means to record further user records,updated, and means for recording upon the disc which individual one ofpossibly several historically sequential occurrences of each of theplurality of tape maps as correspond to each of the plurality of virtualmagnetic tapes is newest, which newest tape maps will, in accordancewith being supplementally recorded in accordance with all most recentrevisions to the user records of a virtual magnetic tape, includepointer data to all most current revision user records of each virtualmagnetic tape, wherein the user records of each and any of the pluralityof virtual magnetic tapes are accessed during reading by reference tothe pointer data of a newest associated tape map, wherein when a readreference proceeds through a newest tape map that is supplanting of,different than, and revised from a former tape map than such readreference is permissively to new user records that are supplanting of,and permissively different than and revised from, such User records aswere accessed by the former tape map, wherein the virtual magnetic tapesare susceptible of being any of added, deleted or altered in whole or inpart by (i) the supplemental recording by the record recording means ofsuch further added or revised user records as prove pertinent, plus (ii)the supplemental recording by the tape map recording means of a new tapemap that is referenceable during reading to access said added, deletedor altered virtual magnetic tape.
 2. The optical disk recording systemof claim 1 further comprising;a disk identification recording means forrecording disk identification data identifying said optical disk.
 3. Theoptical disk recording system of claim 1 further comprising:a tapedirectory recording means for recording tape directory data identifyingeach of said plurality of virtual magnetic tapes, the tape directoryincluding tape map pointer data pointing to a tape map respective of anassociated one of the plurality of virtual magnetic tapes.
 4. A systemfor recording on an optical disk in an optical disk drive a plurality ofmagnetic tapes each having user records as a corresponding plurality ofvirtual magnetic tapes, said optical disk recording system comprising:arecord recording means for recording said user records of each of saidplurality of virtual magnetic tapes, a tape map recording means forrecording on said optical disk tape maps respective of each one of theplurality of virtual magnetic tapes, each tape map including pointerdata pointing to a location on said optical disk of the user records ofan associated one of said plurality of virtual magnetic tapes, and eachtape map being recorded separately from an associated one of saidplurality of virtual magnetic tapes, and a tape directory recordingmeans for recording tape directory data., the tape directory dataincluding tape map pointer data pointing to a tape map of a respectiveone of the plurality of virtual magnetic tapes, and virtual tapedirectory identification data recording means for recording dataidentifying each respective one of the plurality of virtual magnetictapes, said virtual tape directory data being recorded separate from anyof said user records.
 5. The optical disk recording system of claim 4wherein said tape directory recording means is recording a tapedirectory having respective tape data for each of said plurality ofvirtual magnetic tapes, each said respective tape data including, inaddition to the pointer data pointing to a tape map of a respective oneof the plurality of virtual magnetic tapes,write protect data indicatingwhether the respective one of the plurality of virtual magnetic tapes iswrite protected, pool type data indicating that the respective one ofthe plurality of virtual magnetic tapes is a one of a scratch virtualmagnetic tape and a user virtual magnetic tape, tape length dataspecifying the length of the respective one of the plurality of virtualmagnetic tapes, and volume serial number data for identifying therespective one of the plurality of virtual magnetic tapes.
 6. Theoptical disk recording system of claim 4wherein said optical disk hastwo sides each of which has a part of said user records, said tape mapsand said tape directory, and wherein said tape directory recording meansis recording tape directory data including pointer data pointing to arespective tape map of an associated one of said plurality of virtualmagnetic tapes, and respective identification data for identifying saida respective one of said .plurality of virtual magnetic tapes.
 7. Theoptical disk recording system of claim 4wherein said record recordingmeans is recording magnetic tape data including user records and tapemarks separated by interblock gaps, and wherein said tape map recordingmeans is recording tape map data including, in addition to the pointerdata pointing to a tape map of a respective one of the plurality ofvirtual magnetic tapes, simulated tape mark data to indicate thepresence of tape marks within a respective one of said plurality ofvirtual magnetic tapes, simulated interblock gap data to indicate thepresence of interblock gaps within a respective one of said plurality ofvirtual magnetic tapes.
 8. The optical disk recording system of claim4wherein each of said plurality of magnetic tapes has tape marks anduser records, and wherein said tape map recording means is recordingtape map data for each of said plurality of magnetic tapes having tapemarks and user records, said tape map data including, in addition to thepointer data pointing to a tape map of a respective one of the pluralityof virtual magnetic tapes, type data indicating whether the pointer datais to one of said tape marks or one of said user records, accumulatedlength data indicating an accumulative position within a respective oneof said plurality of virtual magnetic tapes of said tape marks or saiduser records, and wherein the pointer data is pointing to said userrecord only when said type data so indicates.
 9. The optical diskrecording system of claim 4wherein said optical disk is recorded withdata in sectors, wherein each of said plurality of magnetic tapes hastape marks and user records, and wherein said tape map recording meansis recording tape map data for each of said plurality of magnetic tapeshaving tape marks and said user records, said tape map data includingtype data serving to indicate one of said tape marks or one of said userrecords, accumulated length data serving to indicate an accumulatedposition within a respective one of said plurality of virtual magnetictapes of said tape marks or said user records, wherein said pointer dataserves to point to a beginning user record of all said user records of arespective one of said plurality of virtual magnetic tapes when saidtype data indicates one of said user records, said pointer data servingto point to one of said sectors on said optical disk in which isrecorded the start of said user records of the respective one of saidplurality of virtual magnetic tapes, block length data serving toindicate the length of said user record that is pointed to by saidpointer data, and record offset data for said user record serving toindicate an offset from the beginning of said sector that is indicatedby said pointer data to a location where a user record is first recordedwithin said sector.
 10. The optical disk recording system of claim4wherein each of said plurality of magnetic tapes has tape marks anduser records separated by interblock gaps, wherein said tape maprecording means is recording respective tape map data for each of saidtape marks and said user records, wherein said tape map data includes,in addition to the pointer data pointing to a tape map of a respectiveone of the plurality of virtual magnetic tapes, type data serving toindicate one of said tape marks or one of said user records, andaccumulated length data serving to indicate an accumulative positionwithin said virtual magnetic tape of said tape marks or said userrecords, said accumulated length data including the length of said userrecord when indicated by said type data, said accumulated length dataserving to simulate said tape mark by including a predetermined tapemark length when indicated by said type data, said accumulated lengthdata serving to simulate a respective one of said interblock gapsincluding a predetermined interblock gap length, wherein said pointerdata serves to point to said user record when said type data indicatesone of said user records.
 11. The optical disk recording system of claim4 wherein said magnetic tape has tape marks and user records separatedby interblock gaps,wherein said tape map recording means is forrecording tape map data for each of said tape marks and said userrecords, each of said tape map data including, in addition to thepointer data pointing to a tape map of a respective one of the pluralityof virtual magnetic tapes, type data indicating one of said tape marksor one of said user records, accumulated length data indicating theaccumulative position within said virtual magnetic tape of said tapemarks or said user records, said accumulative length data including thelength of said user record when indicated by said type data, saidaccumulative length data simulating said tape mark by including apredetermined tape mark length when indicated by said type data, saidaccumulative data simulating a respective one of said interblock gaps byincluding a predetermined interblock gap length, wherein said pointerdata point a to said user record when said type data indicates said userrecord, and block length data indicating a size of said user record whensaid type data indicates said user record.
 12. The optical diskrecording system of claim 4 wherein said magnetic tape has tape marksand user records,wherein said tape map recording means is for recordingrespective tape map data for each of said tape marks and said userrecords, each of said tape map data including, in addition to thepointer data pointing to a tape map of a respective one of the pluralityof virtual magnetic tapes, type data indicating one of said tape marksor one of said user records, block length data indicating a size of saiduser record when said type data indicates said user record, wherein thepointer data points to a sector in which the start of said user recordis recorded when said type data indicates said user record, and recordoffset data pointing to said user record within said sector addressed bysaid pointer data, said user record being recorded across sectorboundaries when said size of said user record exceeds a predeterminedlength of said sector minus said record offset data.
 13. An optical diskrecording system for recording, on an optical disk where data isrecorded in sectors and that is insertable in an optical disk drive, aplurality of magnetic tapes each of which has user records as acorresponding plurality of virtual magnetic tapes, said optical diskrecording system comprising:a record recording means for recording userrecords of said plurality of magnetic tapes as a corresponding pluralityof virtual magnetic tapes, a tape map recording means for recording aplurality of tape maps corresponding to said plurality of virtualmagnetic tapes, each of said plurality of tape maps being recorded onsaid optical disk separate from, but pointing to, said user records of arespective one of said plurality of virtual magnetic tapes, and a tapedirectory recording means for recording a plurality of tape directorieseach having a plurality of sectors, etch tape directory containing bothan outdated tape directory and also an updated tape directory datahaving at least pointer data and identification data pointing to anassociated one of said plurality of tape maps and identifying anassociated one of said plurality of virtual magnetic tapes, saidoutdated tape directory data being recorded in a first sector of saidtape directory so as to firstly identify an associated one of saidplurality of virtual magnetic tapes, said updated tape directory datarecorded in a current sector of said tape directory to currentlyidentify an associated one of said plurality of virtual magnetic tapes.14. The optical disk recording system of claim 13 wherein said opticaldisk records data in sectors, said optical disk recording system furthercomprising:an identification recording means for recording upon aplurality of said sectors what comes over time to be both outdated andupdated disk identification data, said disk identification data servingto identify said optical disk wherein the optical disk is re-identifiedby recording updated identification data, said outdated identificationdata being recorded in a first sector of a multi-sector tape directoryto firstly identify said optical disk, said updated identification databeing recorded in a current sector of said multi-sector tape directoryto currently identify said optical disk, said identification dataforebearing to be recorded in a last one of a predetermined number ofsectors of said multi-sector tape directory until and unless a sectorbetween said first sector and said last predetermined number of sectorsproves defective.
 15. The optical disk recording system of claim 13further comprising:an identification recording means for recording diskidentification data at a first predetermined sector, said plurality oftape directories being recorded by said tape directory recording meansstarting at a second predetermined sector, said tape directorycontaining a continuation pointer serving to point to a next availablesector for recording.
 16. The optical disk recording system ofclaimwherein said tape directory recording means is recording aplurality of directories of which directories has a predeterminedplurality of sectors for recording said outdated and updated tapedirectory data, a first directory of said plurality of directories beingrecorded at a predetermined location, said first directory having a lastsector serving to record pointer data pointing to a next directory, andalso having a last sector serving to record pointer data pointing to asuccessive next directory, a of said plurality of directories, and acurrent directory of said plurality of directories having a currentsector serving to record said updated tape directory data, said updatedtape directory data forebearing to be recorded in a last predeterminednumber of sectors of each of said plurality of directories until andunless a sector between said first sector and said last one of apredetermined number of sectors is defective.
 17. The optical diskrecording system of claim 13wherein said tape directory recording meansis further for recording a plurality of directories each of which has apredetermined plurality of sectors serving to record said outdated andsaid updated tape directory data, a first directory of said plurality ofdirectories being recorded at a predetermined location, said firstdirectory having a last sector serving to record pointer data pointingto a next directory and also having a last sector serving to recordpointer data pointing to a successive next directory of said pluralityof directories, said plurality of directories also including a currentdirectory having a current sector serving to record said updated tapedirectory data, wherein re-recording of said tape directory in apredetermined number of last sectors of each of said directories isforegone until and unless a sector between said first sector and saidlast predetermined number of sectors is defective, wherein said outdatedtape directory data and said updated tape directory each contain acontinuation pointer serving to point to a next available sector forseparately recording said user records, said tape maps and said nextdirectory, and also wherein the identification recording means serves torecord disk identification data at a first predetermined locationrecorded separately from said first directory.
 18. A method foridentifying a selected one of a plurality of virtual magnetic tapesrecorded on an optical disk that is recording data in sectors and thatis insertable in an optical disk drive in a system that includes atleast a computer with a memory, said optical disk having directories ofvirtual magnetic tapes recorded in one or more sectors of a plurality ofdirectories each of which directories spans a plurality sectors, saiddirectories of virtual magnetic tapes identifying all said plurality ofvirtual magnetic tapes, said method comprising the steps offirstsearching the optical disk by reading in sequence said directories andthen the sectors of each successive directory until a lowest unrecordedsector in a lowest directory is detected, then causing said reading toback up one sector from the lowest detected unrecorded sector, thenreading the directory of virtual magnetic tapes recorded in thisnext-to-lowest sector into said memory, and then second searching thedirectory of virtual magnetic tapes in said memory to currently identifya selected one virtual magnetic tape.
 19. The method of claim 18 whereinsaid method further comprises after the reading the steps ofupdatingsaid directory of virtual magnetic tapes in said memory by deleting dataof a one of said one or ones of said plurality of virtual magnetictapes, or by adding data of another one or ones of said plurality ofvirtual magnetic tapes, or by both adding and deleting data, and writingsaid updated tape directory in said lowest unrecorded sector of saidlowest directory.
 20. The method of claim 18 wherein said tape directorydata further includes pointer data pointing to a next directory, saidmethod further comprising, after the reading, the steps ofrecordingpointer data in a last sector of said lowest directory, said pointerdata pointing to a next, next-to-lowest, directory, and wherein saidreading further comprises determining if said next-to-lowest sectorstores pointer data, and IF said next-to-lowest sector stores pointerdata THEN searching in sequence said next directory for a firstunrecorded sector therein ELSE IF said next-to-lowest sector does notstore pointer data THEN reading tape directory data into memory.
 21. Themethod of claim 18 wherein said optical disk has an identification bandhaving a plurality of sectors, the identification band serving to recorddisk identification data, said optical disk being re-identified byrecording updated identification data in successive ones of the sectorsof said identification band, said method further comprising the stepofsearching by reading in sequence the plurality of sectors of saididentification band until a first unrecorded sector is detected, thencausing said reading to back up one sector so as to read identificationdata recorded in that sector into said memory, then updating saididentification data in said memory with updated identification data, andthen recording said updated identification data in said first unrecordedsector.
 22. A method of writing a plurality of virtual magnetic tapes onan optical disk in an optical disk drive in and by a system thatreceives magnetic tape data including user records, said system havingat least a computer and memory for writing the plurality of virtualmagnetic tapes, said method comprising the steps oforganizing said userrecords of said magnetic tape data into a plurality of virtual magnetictape user records, writing said plurality of virtual magnetic tape userrecords on said optical disk, generating a corresponding plurality oftape maps for said plurality of virtual magnetic tapes, said pluralityof tape maps having pointers respectively pointing to each saidplurality of virtual magnetic tape user records, and writing saidplurality of tape maps on said optical disk separate from and after, thewriting of said plurality of virtual magnetic tape user records.
 23. Themethod of claim 22 wherein said step of generating said plurality oftape maps comprises the sub-steps ofgenerating block type indicators forindicating respective tape marks or respective ones of said plurality ofvirtual magnetic tape user records, generating said respective recordpointers pointing to respective ones of said plurality of virtualmagnetic tape user records, and generating block length indicatorsindicating the length of respective ones of said plurality of virtualmagnetic tape user records.
 24. The method of claim 22 wherein saidmethod further comprises the steps ofgenerating a plurality of tape mappointers respectively pointing to respective ones of said plurality oftape maps, and writing said plurality of tape map pointers on saidoptical disk separate from, and after, writing said at plurality of tapemaps.
 25. The method of claim 22 wherein said method further comprisesthe steps of,generating a plurality of tape map pointers respectivelypointing to said plurality of tape maps corresponding to said pluralityof virtual magnetic tapes, generating a continuation pointer serving topoint to an available address space on said optical disk, writing saidtape map pointers on said optical disk separate from, and after, writingsaid plurality of tape maps, and writing said continuation pointer onsaid optical disk separate from and after, writing said plurality oftape maps, said written continuation pointer serving to point to anavailable address space on said optical disk.
 26. The method of claim 22wherein said optical disk records data in sectors and wherein said stepof generating a plurality of tape maps comprises the substepsofgenerating block type indicators indicating respective tape marks orrespective ones of said virtual magnetic tape user records, generatingsaid record pointers having at least respective sector addresses andrespective sector offsets pointing to said respective virtual magnetictape user records when said block type indicators indicate saidrespective virtual magnetic tape user records, and generating blocklength indicators indicating the length of said respective virtualmagnetic tape user records, said block length indicators, said sectoraddresses and said sector offsets for writing said respective virtualmagnetic user records across one or more sector boundaries.
 27. A methodfor reading a plurality of magnetic tapes recorded on a single opticaldisk in an optical disk drive by, and by use of, a pre-existing computersystem for reading magnetic tape data from magnetic tapes having userrecords, the user records that are read from the optical disk beingrecorded on said optical disk as a plurality of virtual magnetic tapeseach of which has virtual magnetic tape user records, said optical diskrecording tape map data for said plurality of virtual magnetic tapes,said tape map data including pointers respectively pointing to saidvirtual magnetic tape user records of said plurality of virtual magnetictapes, said tape map data being recorded on said optical disk separatefrom said virtual magnetic tape user records, said method comprising thesteps ofreading into said memory said tape map data, selecting from tapemap data at least one of said record pointers serving to point to atleast one of said virtual magnetic tape user records, and reading intosaid memory said at least one virtual magnetic tape user record.
 28. Themethod of claim 27 wherein said tape map data includes a tape map foreach of said plurality of virtual magnetic tapes, each of said tape mapsas are associated with each of said plurality of virtual magnetic tapesincluding a plurality of record pointers respectively pointing to saidvirtual magnetic tape user records f an associated one of said pluralityof virtual magnetic tapes, and wherein said step for generating opticaldisk drive commands to read into said memory said tape map data furthercomprises the sub-step ofreading into said memory at least one tape mapfor accessing said user records of a respective one of said plurality ofvirtual magnetic tapes.
 29. The method of claim 27 wherein said tape mapdata includes at least one tape map for each of said plurality ofvirtual magnetic tapes, each of said at least one tape map including aplurality of record pointers respectively pointing to said virtualmagnetic tape user records, wherein said optical disk records a tapedirectory pointing to said at least one tape map, and wherein saidmethod further comprises the steps ofreading into said memory said tapedirectory, and selecting from said tape directory said at least one tapemap as corresponds to at least one of said plurality of virtual magnetictapes.
 30. A method of maintaining a plurality of virtual magnetic tapeson a plurality of optical disks recorded in optical disk drives in asystem that serves to emulate a magnetic tape subsystem that controlsmagnetic tape drives to read or writing magnetic tape user records andthat is connected through a channel to a host computer transmittingchannel commands within channel data formats, said system including acomputer with memory for communicating through said channel commandswithin channel data formats, said magnetic tape user records beingrecorded on optical disks as the plurality of virtual magnetic tapes,each of said optical disks recording a plurality of tape maps eachrespectively for a corresponding one virtual magnetic tape, each tapemap serving to point to respective virtual magnetic tape user recordsthat are recorded separate from the tape map, said method comprising thesteps ofreceiving one or more channel commands through said channeldirecting the accessing of magnetic tape user records on a one of theplurality of magnetic tapes, and reading said plurality of tape maps inorder so as to determine a respective one of said plurality of virtualmagnetic tapes in which is recorded said magnetic tape user records. 31.A method of claim 30 wherein each optical disk of said plurality ofoptical disks further records a plurality of tape directories one ofwhich directories is a current directory that is a last recorded one ofsaid tape directories, each of said plurality of tape directories havingtape map pointers serving to point to a tape map and a continuationpointer serving to point to an available address on said optical disk,said method further comprising the steps ofreading a current directoryinto said memory, determining from said current directory an address onsaid optical disk which address is a location of one tape map of saidplurality of tape maps, determining from said current directory anavailable address, receiving a write command through said channelrequesting the writing of at least one user record within said magnetictape, receiving said at least one user record through said channel,storing said at least one user record in said memory, writing said atleast one user record on said optical disk at said available address,updating said one tape map in said memory updated to point to thelocation of said at least one user record written on said optical disk,writing said updated tape map on said optical disk, updating saidcurrent tape directory in said memory with another one of said tape mappointers to point to the location of said updated tape map written onsaid optical disk, updating said updated tape directory with anotheravailable address, and writing said updated tape directory as saidcurrent tape directory.
 32. The method of claim 31 wherein each opticaldisk of said plurality of optical disks records on each side a tapedirectory having tape map pointers pointing to said at least one tapemap recorded on a respective optical disk side each recording at leastone of said plurality of virtual magnetic tapes, said tape directorylisting said respectively recorded virtual magnetic tapes, wherein eachoptical disk side of said optical disk has a disk identificationidentifying said optical disk and said optical disk side, said systemstoring cross reference data cross referencing optical disk sides tovirtual magnetic tapes, said method further comprising the stepsofreading said disk identification, and updating said cross reference insaid memory to cross reference said optical disk side and saidrespective at least one virtual magnetic tape.
 33. The method of claim30, wherein said method further comprises the steps ofreceiving a writecommand through said channel requesting the writing of at least one userrecord within said magnetic tape, receiving said at least one userrecord through said channel, storing at least one user record in saidmemory, generating optical disk drive commands to write said at leastone user record on said optical disk, updating in said memory said onetape map to point to the location of said at least one user recordwritten on said optical disk, and writing said one tape map on saidoptical disk.
 34. The method of claim 30 wherein said at least one tapemap comprises map data having at least respective record pointers,record lengths and record offsets for said virtual magnetic tape userrecords recorded across sector boundaries on said optical disk, whereinsaid optical disks each further record a tape directory having at leasttape map pointers pointing to respective said at least one tape map,said method further comprising the steps ofreading said tape directoryon said optical disk into said memory, receiving a read command throughsaid channel requesting the reading of said a one of said plurality ofmagnetic tape user records within said magnetic tape, determining anaddress from said tape map data on said optical disk of a location of aone of said virtual magnetic tape user records as is requested by saidread command, reading said the one of said plurality of virtual magnetictape user records recorded on said optical disk that was requested bysaid read command, storing said read one virtual magnetic tape userrecord that was read from said optical disk drive into said memory, andtransmitting through said channel said read virtual magnetic tape userrecord from said memory, said at read virtual magnetic tape user recordbeing formatted during transmission as a magnetic tape user record. 35.The method of claim 30 wherein said optical disks each further record atleast one tape directory one of which is a current directory being thelast recorded one of said plurality of tape directories, said pluralityof directories being recorded in a predetermined band of sectors, eachsaid plurality of tape directories containing tape map pointers servingto point to a respective one of the plurality of tape maps and acontinuation pointer serving to point to an available address on saidoptical disk, said method further comprising the steps ofreading intosaid memory sequential sectors of said predetermined band of sectors,determining a last recorded sector in said predetermined bands ofsectors, reading into said memory said last recorded sector containingsaid current directory, and determining from said current directory anaddress on said optical disk of the location of a one of said pluralityof tape maps.
 36. The method of claim 30 wherein said system stores across reference between sides of said optical disks and said at leastone virtual magnetic tape, wherein said optical disk sides record a tapedirectory identifying said at least one virtual magnetic tape recordedon said respective optical disk side, and wherein each of said opticaldisk sides has a disk identification, said disk identification beingrecorded in a sector before a first available sector in a predeterminedband of sectors on said optical disk side, said method furthercomprising the steps ofreading said disk identification into said memoryby searching said predetermined band of sectors for a last recordedsector on one of said optical disk sides, determining from said diskidentification and from said cross reference that said optical disk sideis referenced to one of said plurality of virtual magnetic tape, readingsaid tape directory into said memory, and determining that said tapedirectory identifies a one of said plurality of virtual magnetic tapes.37. A method, performed on an optical disc that may be written but oncein each area thereof,of recording a plurality of virtual magnetic tapeseach of which virtual magnetic tapes includes user records, and ofre-recording revised ones of the virtual magnetic tapes particularly asare so revised by incorporation of new and updated user records, so thateach of the user records of each of the virtual magnetic tapes may beaddressably accessed in its most currently revised form as if it were arecord upon a magnetic tape, the method of recording and re-recordingvirtual magnetic tapes on an optical disc comprising: first recording onthe optical disc, all in a first area and each at an addressablelocation, the user records of each of the virtual magnetic tapes, and,at later times, still further user records as represent any additions oralterations to any one or ones of the virtual magnetic tapes; and, atthe conclusion of each recording of the user records of one or morevirtual magnetic tapes, second recording on the optical disc, at anaddressable location of a second area thereof that is separate from thefirst area, tape maps, each of which tape maps is individually uniquelyassociated with a corresponding one of the virtual magnetic tapes, eachof which tape maps includes pointer data pointing to the addressablelocations on said optical disc of all the most current user records ofan associated one of the virtual magnetic tapes; and also at theconclusion of each recording of the user records, third recording uponthe disc, at a dedicated area thereof that is separate from the firstarea, a tape directory, which tape directory contains pointers to theaddresses of the newest and most current tape map for each and everyvirtual magnetic tape, which newest tape map for each and any particularvirtual magnetic tape will contain pointer data pointing to theaddressable locations on the optical disc of all the most currentrevisions of all the user records of that particular virtual magnetictape; wherein each and any particular sought-after one of the userrecords on each and any particular sought-after one of the virtualmagnetic tapes may be addressably accessed in its most currently revisedform just as if it were a record upon a magnetic tape by reading tapedirectories to find a most current one such tape directory, and then, byreading a pointer for to the tape map of a particular sought-aftervirtual magnetic tape that is contained in this newest tape directory,reading the most current tape map for this particular sought-aftervirtual magnetic tape, and then, by reference to the pointers to thenewest user records that are contained in this newest tape map, readingthe particular sought-after one of the user records.
 38. A method ofaddressably recording and re-recording on an optical disc a multiplicityof user records that are contained in plurality of virtual magnetictapes, the optical disc recording and re-recording methodcomprising:recording and re-recording at first times any of the userrecords, and any selectively updated ones of the user records, of eachof the plurality of virtual magnetic tapes, this recording andre-recording serving to record all the user records and all theselectively updated user records each in its own particular addressablelocation in a first area on the optical disc; and then, at a timesubsequent to the each of recording or re-recording of the records atthe first times, recording and re-recording at second times after thefirst times, tape maps, and successor tape maps, each in a second area,separate from the first area, on the optical disk, each tape map beingassociated with a corresponding one virtual magnetic tape, each tape mapincluding pointer data pointing to addresses on the optical disc of eachmost-recently recorded one of all the user records of the associated onevirtual magnetic tapes; wherein each successor, newer, tape map as isassociated with a one virtual magnetic tape supersedes and rendersobsolete when written the immediately earlier and older tape map as waspreviously associated with the same one virtual magnetic tape; whereineach successor, newer, tape map, includes, by virtue of being generatedat a second time subsequent to the occasion of a previous recording orre-recording of user records at a first time, pointer data pointing toat least one most newly recorded user record of a virtual magnetic tape,but may also contain pointer data pointing to user records of the samevirtual magnetic tape that were not immediately just recorded orrerecorded in the immediately preceding first time; wherein a recordingsurface of the disc is conserved because, although only changed andselectively updated user records are rewritten, all the most currentuser records of any particular one virtual magnetic tape may beaddressably accessed through a single newest tape map associated withthat particular one virtual magnetic tape.
 39. A method of recording onan optical disc a plurality of magnetic tapes each having user records,the optical disc recording method comprising:first recording in a firstarea of the optical disc the user records of each of the plurality ofvirtual magnetic tapes; then second recording in a second area, separatefrom he first area, of the optical disc tape maps respective of each oneof the plurality of virtual magnetic tapes, each tape map includingpointer data serving to point to a location on said optical disc of theuser records of an associated one of said plurality of virtual magnetictapes; and then third recording, in an area of the optical disc separatefrom the first area, tape directory data, the tape directory dataincluding tape map pointer data serving to point to a tape map of arespective one of the plurality of virtual magnetic tapes.
 40. Theoptical disc recording method according to claim 39 that, after thethird recording, further comprises:fourth recording, in an area of theoptical disc separate from the first area, virtual tape directoryidentification data, the virtual tape identification data serving toidentify each respective one of the plurality of virtual magnetic tapes.41. A method of recording on an optical disc a plurality of magnetictapes, each of which magnetic tapes includes user records, as aplurality of virtual magnetic tapes, said method of recording the userrecords of magnetic tapes as virtual magnetic tapes on optical disccomprising:first recording user records of a plurality of magnetic tapeson the optical disc at a first area thereof as addressable recordscorresponding to a plurality of virtual magnetic tapes; secondrecording, in a second area of the optical disc separate from the firstarea, a plurality of tape maps corresponding to the plurality of virtualmagnetic tapes, each of which plurality of tape maps points to all theuser records of a respective one of the plurality of virtual magnetictapes; repeating the first recording and the second recording as isrequired to do any of add, change and delete user records, and add,change or delete virtual magnetic tapes; while after each iteration ofthe first and the second recording third recording in a dedicated areaof the optical disc a tape directory having at least pointer datapointing to the most recent one of each of the plurality of tape maps asis associated with each of the plurality of virtual magnetic tapes, thededicated area of the optical disc ultimately coming to containingoutdated tape directories and also a most currently updated tapedirectory, said outdated tape directories being identifiable from themost currently updated one tape directory because all tape directoriesare recorded seriatim in the dedicated area, and a last one suchrecorded, which is necessarily presently last in the dedicated area, isthe most currently updated one tape directory; wherein the mostcurrently updated one tape directory contains pointers to the mostcurrent tape map as is associated with each of the plurality of virtualmagnetic tapes, and each most current tape map, in turn, containspointers to all the most current ones of all the user records that areupon the associated virtual magnetic tape.